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David Moyes should urge a summer swoop for Rochdale starlet Kwadwo Baah in a bid to sign West Ham United’s new Junior Stanislas.

What’s the word?

According to Football League World, the Hammers are keen to hold talks with Baah over a potential transfer to the London Stadium with his Dale contract due to expire in June.

The forward looked set to seal a Premier League move during the recent winter market with Manchester City said to have been close, yet the deal fell through after the player’s medical.

Baah had agreed to join the Citizens as he felt the Etihad Stadium would have been the best place for his development following a loan spell for the 2021/22 season, but he’s now back on the market for a number of Premier League and European clubs to target.

The 18-year-old had sparked widespread interest with his eye-catching performances for League One side Rochdale, netting three goals and providing two assists in all competitions since making his senior debut in December 2019.

He has kicked on greatly this season with each of Baah’s goal involvements coming over 22 third-tier appearances, of which the Stuttgart-born, Ghana and England citizen has started 11.

Rochdale boss Brian Barry-Murphy confirmed Manchester City were not the only club keen on his side’s talented youngster while his deal to join Pep Guardiola’s side hung in balance, leaving West Ham facing a challenge if they are to convince Baah of a move this summer.

“He’s probably one of the most talented wide players we’ve ever had at the club,” the Dale manager said, via quotes by the Manchester Evening News, after a 2-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic. “I understand the deal with Manchester City is still not completed, so a lot of other clubs are monitoring that closely.

“I’m privileged to have him in our squad going forward because even today, I thought most of our attacking moments were through him and at 18, that’s a great credit to him.”

Should West Ham sign Baah?

Moyes urging West Ham to open negotiations with Baah and his representatives ahead of becoming a free agent at the end of the season could see the Scottish coach land the Iron’s their new Stanislas.

Stanislas broke out of West Ham’s academy at 19 and soon established himself in the first-team fold with 26 appearances during the 2009/10 Premier League season. He may not have lasted long in east London before moving to Burnley in 2011, but the former England U21 international would go on to enjoy a strong career in the top-flight.

The forward amassed 140 games in the division between his time at West Ham and AFC Bournemouth prior to their relegation, in which he scored 25 goals and provided 16 assists and he never failed to end a campaign with a contribution of less than two.

Ex-Cherries boss Eddie Howe lauded the vision of the 31-year-old beyond his output, as well, as Stanislas boasts tremendous technical qualities.

“He is a quality player, he’s got very good technical ability,” Howe told the Daily Echo. “He sees a pass, he is that creative link we’ve maybe been missing [due to hamstring and knee issues].”

Baah is emerging on a similar path to Stanislas, with Barry-Murphy dubbing the teenager as a “special talent” and one who is capable of producing incredible and powerful finishes.

The Rochdale talent may be relatively unproven and yet to test himself in a division higher than League One, but Moyes could rue missing out on this potential star in the making.

AND in other news, West Ham face a £43m asking price to land a 24-y/o ace who “never gets tired”…

Aston Villa’s academy has produced some great talents, and there is now another prospect in their ranks already attracting interest from some of England’s biggest sides.

The latest on an Aston Villa talent

According to The Times, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool are some of the clubs monitoring Villa wonderkid Carney Chukwuemeka.

None have yet made an approach to sign him, but the report claims there is even competition for his signature from Europe too, so this will definitely be a player to keep an eye on as the rumours heat up.

Villa need to keep hold of their prospects

The club clearly understand the potential Chukwuemeka has, with Chief Executive Christian Purslow piling massive praise on him last year as he said: “We need to be higher in recruiting the best eight-year-old, nine-year-old, 10-year-old, 11-year-old, 12-year-old, 14, 16, one a year that makes it and gets a professional contract at 16.

“I want that player. We have one right now, probably the best 16-year-old in England, Carney (Chukwuemeka). Absolutely no debate, he’s starting for the U23s.”

He is now 17, but he clearly is already impressing, and he is a key asset in the U23 side already, featuring eleven times in Premier League 2 and twice in the EFL Trophy this season (Transfermarkt). He has picked up two assists along the way.

To be already playing at the highest youth level at such a young age emphasises his potential, as does the fact that United, City and Liverpool are interested in him. Therefore, Villa need to do everything in their power to keep him at the club as they could have another amazing Premier League star who can follow in the footsteps of captain Jack Grealish.

In other news: Aston Villa fans flocked to this update by Gregg Evans, find out more here.

Reports by Fichajes earlier this week claimed that David Moyes is weighing up a move for Valencia forward Goncalo Guedes, who could prove to be West Ham United’s next megastar.

Guedes is seen to have one foot out of the door at the Mestalla after an injury-ravished few seasons have held the Portuguese maestro back from reaching his full potential.

It is not expected that the 24-year-old will be able to leave the shadows of his La Liga outfit before the summer market opens, with los murcielagos far from seeing the same player who fascinated fans with his goals, assists and dazzling dribbles in seasons past.

Valencia have already placed an asking price on the head of the 23-cap international under the £36m paid to Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, and far below the €300m (£258m) release clause included in his contract.

Javi Gracia’s side are said to value Guedes at just €15m (£13m), which has sparked West Ham, SSC Napoli and AS Monaco to begin showing an interest in the £101,000-per-week maestro.

Guedes played no role in his side’s 2-0 win over Celta de Vigo on Saturday after being sent to the bench after one of his worst performances of the season the week prior, as Valencia lost 2-0 at Real Madrid and the winger was hauled off at the break.

The Santiago Bernabeu affair marked Guedes’ 15th start in 18 La Liga appearances this term, with him previously scoring and assisting just one goal. An ankle injury kept the winger on the sidelines for 14 matches last season, after which he was involved in four goals (2 scored, 2 assisted).

Guedes clearly needs a fresh start to rediscover the player who lit up the Mestalla during his year on loan from PSG in 2017/18, when he offered five goals and 11 assists, and Moyes sealing a deal can see the West Ham chief bring the next megastar to the London Stadium.

West Ham have been without a true game-changing forward of high-calibre quality since Dimitri Payet returned to Olympique de Marseille for £25m in 2017, after lighting up east London with the Irons on his back.

“I think all the players, they go out on the pitch and go: ‘Go on then, Payet, do something, and then when you’ve done something, we’ll start getting involved. You get it going first.’” Paul Merson once told Sky Sports Soccer Saturday, via quotes by HITC.

“None of them step up to the plate. I just think they rely on him so much to make things happen and if he doesn’t make anything happen, the other lads just won’t step up to the plate and that’s worrying for West Ham.”

Payet scored a joint team-high nine goals in the 2015/16 Premier League season and provided the third-most assists (12) across the division.

The Irons have more players capable of sharing the burden now in Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals, Jarrod Bowen and January loan signing Jesse Lingard, but neither of those players can pick up a side and carry them to glory in the way Payet did.

Benrahma may have four assists in the Premier League this season but is still yet to score in claret and blue, while Fornals has contributed five goals (2 assisted, 3 scored). Bowen, meanwhile, has had a hand in eight goals (five scored, three assisted) but is in the midst of his third lengthy drought of the campaign with no frequency to his output.

Guedes would be expected to help take the whole Irons unit to another level if signed for what could prove a bargain £13m this summer, with the forward considered by Garcia to be a “very offensive player”.

West Ham just have to trust in what Guedes achieved before his injuries and the dark days that have since consumed the forward’s time at the Mestalla.

AND in other news, West Ham express interest in £40m star ‘frustrated’ at his current club…

Despite Celtic’s turbulent 2020/21 season, one thing that it has provided for Neil Lennon is the chance to discover some hidden gems within his team.

The Hoops have put in some disappointing performances over the course of the campaign and a lot of the time the team has looked stagnant and sluggish. Key players like Odsonne Edouard have been dropped on numerous occasions as Lennon desperately scrambles to find the winning recipe.

One of the more recent victims of the boss’ ever-changing lineups is captain Scott Brown. Former Celtic midfielder Lubo Moravic discussed the 35-year-old’s role in the club and compared it to that of Henrik Larsson.

Indeed, Brown has become part of the furniture at Parkhead, but with Rangers posing a huge threat on Celtic’s status, the team has been forced to adapt. Lennon took a chance on Ismaila Soro against Lille, handing him his first ever start for the club, which led to another start the next match in the league.

Already the 22-year-old has proven to be a dark horse in the Irishman’s team and he could take the place of veteran Brown for the remainder of the season.

“Nobody is irreplaceable,” Moravic said. “Scott Brown is a fantastic guy and has played a lot of games for Celtic. But if he’s not starting, it is still 11 against 11.”

The skipper’s last two starts have been disappointing in the middle of the park, earning measly Sofascore ratings of 6.1 and 6.4 respectively. The sudden change up of personnel in Lennon’s midfield has seen Celtic win their last two matches, coincidentally with no Brown in the starting lineup.

If the £11,000 per week Soro continues to pay back the manager’s faith, he could cement himself as a regular start next season, especially if Lennon holds onto his new job.

In other news, Mauricio Pochettino move could benefit both him and Lawwell…

The Athletic journalist Phil Hay has claimed that Leeds United remain interested in signing Wigan prospect Sean McGurk.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent months had suggested Marcelo Bielsa’s side were eyeing up a move for the 17-year-old, who has yet to make a single competitive appearance for the first-team at Wigan.

And, speaking on The Phil Hay Show, the journalist said: “The incomings are quiet, and that was what we expected. I never rule out academy signings at Leeds, because they seem to be recruiting on that front all the time.

“McGurk, the youngster over at Wigan, again, that you mentioned is somebody Leeds are still interested in.”

Bielsa’s next Klich

At 17, McGurk is hardly going to come in and be a hit in the first-team straight away, but his performances at youth level with Wigan point to someone who could make a real mark in the future.

Speaking back in February 2020, the Latics’ U18s coach, Peter Murphy, said: “Sean (McGurk) was brilliant, he’s been amazing. He had a slow start to his scholarship with an injury in the summer, but since he’s been fit, he’s got himself into the team and stayed there. He’s so effective in games, he sets things up, he scores goals and he’ll always do that because of his ability.”

Able to play in the centre of the park or even out wide on the right, McGurk has shown flashes of his immense potential, netting in back-to-back games in the FA Youth Cup last season, including against Manchester United.

The 17-year-old could be the man Bielsa looks at as being Mateusz Klich’s long-term successor at Elland Road. The Poland international, who turns 31 later this year, has been a real goal threat from midfield for Leeds over the past couple of seasons, registering 11 goal contributions last season, and a whopping 20 the year before.

In McGurk, Bielsa could find something similar, just like his coach Murphy said. And when you think of how disappointing summer signing Rodrigo has been – he’s scored just three times in 17 games – it may not be too long before the now Wigan starlet makes his mark on the first-team and even goes on to overtake the Spaniard.

Speaking to the Shields Gazette, Newcastle Consortium Supporters Ltd’s Keith Patterson has dropped a huge takeover claim surrounding Tottenham and Daniel Levy as his own club’s saga continues – going on to say that Spurs ‘approached investors’ over a potential £3.5 billion total buy-out. 

As the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) takeover saga at St. James’ Park saga wages on, with the Premier League in hot water as Patterson and Gordon Stein take them to court for what could be a breach of anti-competition law, a Tottenham claim has now been thrown into the mix.

Indeed, speaking to the Shields Gazette, Patterson stated that Spurs were attempting to finalise a takeover last year as they approached Saudi investors over a £3.5 billion total purchase.

Levy and an alleged takeover

Chairman Daniel Levy, who has since invested heavily in his team over the summer after years of debatably under-cutting, apparently attempted to approach interested parties over a massive deal to take over Tottenham.

Patterson, speaking of his side’s takeover desires, accused Spurs as being one of the clubs who caused a deal to stall alongside Man City and Liverpool.

“Tottenham Hotspur, in a negotiation which broke down in March 2019, approached investors in the region we are talking about – two months before the Newcastle deal was ironed out – to buy the football club for £2.5billion, with a further £1billion in add ons.

“The deal was taken to the investors in Saudi Arabia, by a dealmaker named as Eldridge Investments, and rejected – the whole deal totals £3.5billion.

“Spurs came so close to pulling off a deal but then stood in the way of another? We will find out more with disclosure.”

Transfer Tavern take

While this revelation could intrigue Spurs fans, Levy and his key investments over the summer could attract praise – especially as Tottenham currently sit top of the pile.

It’s hard to argue against Levy proving his worth to the fans in the summer, but it will certainly be interesting to see if these rumours pop up again now they are out in the open. Was this his master plan all along?

In other news: Levy has plotted his next transfer move, find out more here. 

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has admitted that he is hopeful that Joe Aribo will be available again for the Europa League clash with Standard Liege on Thursday night.

The Nigerian attacking midfielder was forced to miss the past two games due to an undisclosed illness, but is now back in training ahead of tonight’s game.

Whilst Ryan Jack remains a “major doubt” for the clash, Aribo is set to return in some capacity against the Belgian club, which will be a huge boost for the Ibrox boss, as he has become an integral part of Gerrard’s side since he first arrived at the 54-time Scottish champions.

He was heavily involved in their Premiership title bid last season, although they ultimately came up short as they finished second, as Celtic were crowned champions for the ninth time in a row.

In the process, he was named the Young Player of the Season, having scored three goals and supplied eight assists in the top flight, via Transfermarkt.

It’s hard to believe Aribo is still only 24 as it feels as though he has been around forever and a day, even though the Gers only signed the Nigeria international from Charlton Athletic in 2019.

The versatile player, who can play on the right or in a more central role, has made 11 appearances in all competitions so far this season, scoring four goals in the Premiership, whilst he is averaging 1.8 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

In contrast, even Scott Arfield has only mustered 1.6 shots, 1 key pass and just 0.5 dribbles on average per game, as per WhoScored.

Arfield has been in such fine form in recent weeks, with three goals and two assists in total in his last three games.

But the fact remains that the 32-year-old isn’t getting any younger, and there may soon come a point where Rangers will have to refresh their squad, which is one of the oldest in the first division.

Gerrard may not have to look very far to find the perfect replacement, that’s for sure.

Whilst tonight’s game may come too soon for Aribo, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a brief cameo off the bench.

AND in other news, Ianis Hagi and Kemar Roofe start, no room for Morelos: Glasgow Rangers Predicted XI vs Standard Liege…

According to The Daily Mail, Huddersfield have held talks with Newcastle about a potential move for Rolando Aarons.

What’s the word?

Having burst onto the scene at St James’ Park as an exciting teenager, the 24-year-old has struggled to really match the heights since his opening few months as a Newcastle player.

Recent seasons have seen him go out on loan to various different clubs, with the 2019/2020 campaign being spent at Scottish Premiership side Motherwell, where he made just eight appearances across all competitions.

Now, The Daily Mail claim that Aarons’ time on Tyneside may finally be up, with Huddersfield holding talks over a potential deal. The report further adds that with the winger being out of contract at the end of the season, Newcastle want to cash in on him now, rather than lose him for nothing.

Sell him now

If Newcastle do get an offer to let Aarons go before the transfer deadline tomorrow, then they absolutely have to take it. There should be no holding out hope that the former starlet will finally come good at St James’ Park, and instead, a realisation has to be had that it’s probably best for all parties that he ends up leaving for pastures new.

It was former Magpies boss Alan Pardew who handed Aarons his debut, and he was never shy about praising him when given the chance. Speaking back in August 2014, he said: “He typifies what the Newcastle crowd want to see, taking people on and making things happen. Probably he was behind (Adam) Armstrong at that stage, though he’s just edged above him this pre-season. We’ve got two offensive players coming through the Academy, and if they can crack it in the first team that would be very lucky for us.”

Unfortunately for Newcastle, that hasn’t turned out to be the case. Likened to Raheem Sterling by journalist Craig Hope, Aarons simply hasn’t delivered on his potential. It’s high time now for the club to finally sell him.

And in other news, Newcastle could have landed a Shearer-esque signing in this Bundesliga star.

Aston Villa may have missed a trick by not signing Bournemouth powerhouse Philip Billing in the summer transfer window.

What was the story?

Goal reported back in the summer that whilst Villa had discussed the possibility of doing a deal with Liverpool for Marko Grujic, the Midlands club were “more likely” to go after Billing in order to strengthen Dean Smith’s squad.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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The Denmark international remained at the Vitality Stadium at the close of the transfer window deadline, and when you look at what he could have offered Villa, then it may well go down as a missed opportunity.

Different option for Dean Smith

Standing at 6 foot 6, Billing isn’t in the mould of most footballers – in fact, last season, he was on record for being the tallest player in the Premier League.

But despite his height and physicality, the big Dane is equally good with the ball at his feet, and it’s something his former manager at Huddersfield, David Wagner, was quick to point out.

He said: “He is a man now. He is mature. That is exactly what he needed to be. He has the technique and the vision, he is 6’6”, has an throw in, an unbelievable shot. He has everything, but we always missed a little bit of this fighting gene that he has now got.

“Now he has this he is a very, very big talent. Or more than this – not only is he a talent, but a very, very good player.”

And when you look at his performance in Bournemouth’s 2-1 victory over Aston Villa back in February, it’s clear just how good of a player he is. As well as finding the back of the net, Billing single-handedly ran the Cherries midfield once Jefferson Lerma was sent off, finishing the match with the highest rating of any player on the pitch with 8.3 as per Sofascore.

His Villa opponent on the day, Douglas Luiz, endured a torrid time up against the colossus, losing possession 11 times and winning a measly two duels in the whole 90 minutes. Smith could really have done with a midfielder of Billing’s profile this season.

Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has been linked with various sides throughout this transfer window, and the latest news suggests that the player might be one who could leave before the window shuts.

According to  The Transfer Window Podcast, via The Express, the full-back is not happy at the Red Devils due to his lack of game time, and he would therefore like to leave the club sooner rather than later.

However, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not ready to sanction an exit for the 21-year-old as he still wants defensive cover, but there might be the possibility of letting the Portuguese right-back leave the club on a loan deal for the season.

The 21 year-old, per Transfermarkt, who is valued at £10.8 million, has made 34 appearances for Manchester United, picking up a goal and three assists along the way, but only featured in the Premier League four times last season and with Aaron Wan-Bissaka signing for the club last summer, and this is why it makes sense that he wants to leave as it would benefit him if he wants to play consistently.

He also seems to have moved further down the pecking order as Timothy Fosu-Mensah has been featuring more lately than Dalot and a loan deal for the player would benefit all parties as the club still have enough depth in that position and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can see if Dalot improves and plays well consistently elsewhere and the player gets what he wants.

It will be interesting to see what happens, but if he is not happy to stay at the club, then it would definitely be best for him to leave as soon as possible as his mood could affect the squad and Solskjaer will not want that before the season gets underway.

Man United fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!