All posts by n8rngtd.top

David Moyes should adhere to Frank McAvennie’s advice after he backed Said Benrahma as the surprise answer to West Ham United’s Declan Rice woes.

The Hammers confirmed earlier this week that Rice sustained a lateral knee ligament injury while representing England during the March international break.

He now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines, which reports have suggested could be as long as four to six weeks providing surgery is not required.

Rice having to have his knee operated on could see the 22-year-old be ruled out for the rest of the season, which would jeopardise his place in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad for this summer’s European Championships.

Moyes opted to recall Mark Noble against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night for only the Irons captain’s fifth Premier League start of the term, but McAvennie fears his former side having to rely on the 33-year-old long-term.

“To play Noble for six weeks could set us back, no disrespect to him, but he’s just not got the energy or the legs that the younger guys have,” McAvennie exclusively told FootballFanCast.

“David has got to find energy in the middle. If Rice is caught out and [Tomas] Soucek is up beside him, the two of them have got energy to get back, but Noble can’t.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-west-ham-news-and-views-2″ title=”The latest West Ham news and views!”]

“But if [Ben] Johnson or whoever he wants to put in – Benrahma, and may have to play him a bit deeper, but he’s still got the energy to get up and down. [Jesse] Lingard, I don’t think he’ll bring him that far back.

“It’s a strange one and it’s going to be a headache for David Moyes.”

Monday’s 3-2 win over Wolves was the first Premier League game that Rice has sat out since May 2019, with the £60,000-per-week star opening West Ham’s previous 68 consecutive fixtures.

Noble fared reasonably well in the holding midfield role beside Soucek by keeping things simple, with his leadership the key factor behind his performance having offered a calm head whilst Nuno Espirito Santo’s side threatened a three-goal comeback.

But the Molineux outfit have struggled for consistent form all season and now sit 14th in table, while Sunday’s clash with top-four rivals Leicester City will be expected to cause West Ham a much tougher test in the fight for Champions League qualification.

Moyes could look to weather the inevitable storm by adhering to McAvennie’s advice, and unleashing Benrahma in the engine room beside Soucek and Noble despite the Algerian never playing deeper than an attacking midfield role throughout his career.

The Hammers boss has previously praised Benrahma – who fell to the bench at Molineux and has not started back-to-back Premier League games since February 6 – for his defensive work rate, as his contributions had caught Moyes by surprise.

“I’ve had a bit of a laugh with him [Benrahma] because I’m saying to him: ‘I didn’t realise I’d signed a really hard-working midfield player who runs and closes down, and does all the defensive duties,’” Moyes said, via quotes by The Guardian, in February.

“I said: ‘I thought we got someone for assists and goal making.’ They’re the bits which I think he’s probably needed to improve. The other part has been excellent. I want team players here – I don’t want individuals – but Said’s been great for the team.”

Moyes can now look to unleash Benrahma’s defensive capabilities to their full potential by fielding the 25-year-old in a deeper role at home to Leicester on Sunday, and see if he can be the answer to West Ham’s Rice headache.

AND in other news, West Ham land major boost in race to sign “complete” £11m-rated target for free…

In a recent interview, Kevin Phillips suggested that West Ham United could make a summer move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.

According to a recent report by the Daily Mail, former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes his Leicester City side have “won the race” to sign Edouard this summer, with the £13.5m-rated 23-year-old said to be keen on a reunion with the Northern Irishman, as well as a fee of around £15m “close to being agreed” between the Hoops and the Foxes.

However, speaking recently to Football Insider, Phillips stated his belief that, although Rodgers’ influence could sway the striker towards Leicester, should West Ham finish in a European spot at the end of the season, they too could be a contender for the Frenchman’s signature.

He said: “If Edouard is set to leave this summer I think West Ham and a few others would be looking at him. It will ultimately be down to the player but where West Ham and Leicester finish in the league could determine where the player goes. Having worked under Rodgers though, and knowing his style of football, I think he would opt for Leicester.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Having scored a quite remarkable 81 goals over his 161 appearances for the Bhoys, including 20 across his 33 fixtures in all competitions so far this season, it would be a difficult argument to make that Edouard would not be an inspired signing for West Ham.

Considering that David Moyes only has Michail Antonio as an out-and-out centre-forward in his current first team squad, a summer move for a player in Edouard’s position would indeed appear to be a priority for the Hammers. If the Celtic striker is available for a mere £15m as reported, he would not be far off representing the ideal candidate for Moyes given his value and goal return.

In other news: Many West Ham fans responded to this club update, find out more here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Tottenham defender Gary Mabbutt has admitted that Gareth Bale should now be starting every week, but praised Jose Mourinho’s management of the Welshman.

Bale has generally endured a difficult time back in North London since making his return from Real Madrid last summer.

However, the flying winger has enjoyed a revival in recent weeks, using Spurs’ Europa League tie against Wolfsberger to get up to speed for Premier League matches.

Bale scored in both legs against the Austrian outfit, and having made a significant impact off the bench against West Ham last Sunday was rewarded with just his third Premier League start of the season against Burnley last time out.

And Bale repaid Mourinho’s faith by producing a scintillating man of the match display against the Clarets, scoring twice and assisting once in Tottenham’s 4-0 victory.

Mabbutt told FFC:

“I think he’s been very well managed. There has been a lot of talk about should he be playing from the start week in week out, but I think the manager has to make decisions based upon what he’s seeing in training.

“And as long as that’s all clear cut, as long as there’s a lot of communications between the player and the manager, as to as to what they’re trying to achieve getting back to his full fitness, full match fitness. And for health fitness. He had an illness at one stage that kept him out.”

Bale has featured in each of Tottenham’s previous four games in all competitions, scoring four times, whilst providing three assists for his teammates.

Mabbutt continued:

“I think the last couple of games, certainly the European game last week, and the game against Burnley. I thought he was fantastic. He’s finishing, his composure, just his whole presence, his whole presence just on the field there, I think puts fear into the opponents, as they know what he can do.

“Should Gareth be in the first team every single week? Well, of course, on top of the performances that he’s got, but the manager’s got a massive squad to play with.”

For long periods of the season, it seemed strange as to why Bale wasn’t playing so regularly.

But Mourinho appears to have got this spot on. He’s allowed the Welshman to use the Europa League and domestic cups to get up to scratch before unleashing him for the most important part of the campaign.

This was not an evening which Filip Helander will look back on with any great deal of fondness, but Glasgow Rangers got the job done against Royal Antwerp in a seven-goal thriller in the Europa League.

Two goals from Borna Barisic sealed a memorable victory for Steven Gerrard’s side as they came from behind to beat the Belgians. Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent also scored for the Scottish Premiership leaders, with Alfredo Morelos picking up two assists as well.

However, a defensive lapse of concentration late in the first half threatened to undo all of their hard work, but Rangers refused to buckle.

And, as Antwerp grew more desperate with each passing minute, Ryan Kent took advantage of some weak defending to rifle home a shot to bring the two sides level before Borna Barisic secured a dramatic three points for Rangers in the final minute of stoppage time.

Gerrard opted to recall Filip Helander at the Bosuilstadion instead of Leon Balogun and he may have been left to regret his decision after he produced an uninspiring performance in Thursday’s 4-3 win over Antwerp.

Helander may have not been at fault for all of the goals but conceding three goals in less than 45 minutes is not the way to impress the Rangers manager as you try to work your way back into the fold.

The Swedish international was subject to some criticism for his efforts at Antwerp from former Rangers striker Peter Lovenkrands, who noted he was at fault for Martin Hongla’s goal, saying: “Helander drops really deep to cover Avenatti’s run, if he doesn’t do that he’ll shut that down. He’s far too deep, if he stays in the line it wouldn’t have been a goal there.”

Steven Davis had every right to feel harshly penalised for a foul inside the box after he clipped the back of Lior Refaelov’s heel but otherwise controlled possession of the ball and dictated play for most of the game, having taken more touches of the ball (86) than any of his teammates, as per SofaScore.

Yet for Helander, there is no escaping from what was a rather lacklustre display by all accounts. The Swede received the second-lowest rating of any Rangers player to feature in the match, having earned a 6.0 for his efforts, and it’s easy to see why.

For context, other than Allan McGregor, every other Rangers player on the pitch was graded at 6.2 or better by SofaScore and that should help to paint the full picture.

He failed to register a single tackle or interception or block a single shot in the entire game, via SofaScore, whilst he committed two fouls, which was the joint-highest out of the entire Rangers squad, to sum up his frustrations on the night.

If that weren’t bad enough, Helander lost at least 66% of his duels in total, as he only managed to win two out of a possible six, which was one fewer than Davis could manage during the entire game.

Considering the fact that the 27-year-old earns £9,300-per-week at Ibrox, that being more than the likes of Joe Aribo and Glen Kamara, he really should be doing a lot better than that, especially when he was trusted with a start in the first place.

Helander, therefore, badly let Gerrard and Rangers down on the night with a woeful display at the back.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos stole the show in Europa League goalfest…

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to reignite their interest in one of their reported summer transfer targets…

What’s the word?

According to The Mirror, Spurs are weighing up a bid for highly-rated South Korean centre-back Kim Min-jae this month amid growing concerns that Premier League rivals Chelsea could do the same.

It’s claimed that the north Londoners were keen on the 24-year-old several months ago following the departure of Jan Vertonghen to Benfica on a free transfer.

Now they are plotting a fresh move for the Beijing Guoan man, and here’s why that’s a smart decision to make.

Alderweireld heir

It is no secret that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is keen on another central defender in the current window. Duncan Castles revealed that a pacey option was atop his priorities in January.

The 6 foot 3 colossus has emerged as a potential star in Asia – nicknamed “the monster”, Min-jae has picked up 30 caps at international level and in 43 appearances across the past two seasons is averaging 3.1 clearances, 1.3 interceptions and 1.1 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, he is intercepting the opposition more times than either Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez or Toby Alderweireld, and exceeds the Englishman’s 0.4 tackles per game substantially, also per WhoScored.

Whilst he’s unlikely to come in and instantly make a difference, he could well become the long-term heir to Alderweireld’s throne as he’s not getting any younger at 31.

Indeed, the Belgian beast has seen a dip in playing time recently having played a full 90 minutes just once since mid-December. Alderweireld played only 45 minutes in the FA Cup, and wasn’t risked against Fulham in the Premier League earlier this week.

Min-jae, an international teammate of Heung-min Son, has also been handed huge praise by Goal.com journalist Sungmo Lee, who told football.london:

“Kim Min-jae is hailed as one of the best centre-backs South Korea has produced in 21st century. He has huge potential. He’s big, strong, and fast.

“He’s strong in the air, and also has good feet. He has a strong character as well which Mourinho always likes. Therefore, under Mourinho, and especially with Son, he could settle at Spurs very quickly.”

Spurs have every right to be worried amid interest from the Blues too, after all, they lost out on Willian back in 2013, so Daniel Levy must absolutely ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself.

It was thought that Beijing would want €17m (£15m) for his signature in the summer, though it remains to be seen whether that remains the case.

Forget Joe Rodon, the South Korean ‘monster’ could well be the dream successor to Alderweireld.

AND in other news, Spurs could find their next Teddy Sheringham in 19 y/o tipped to have a big future…

According to Mundo Deportivo, Manchester United are reportedly considering a move for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde and he could be the perfect replacement for Victor Lindelof.

What’s the word?

Kounde finds himself on the Red Devils’ radar after previously being linked with a move to their arch-rivals Manchester City.

The Spanish outlet revealed that Sevilla rejected a €55m bid from Pep Guardiola’s side in the summer.

It’s also claimed Sevilla will not be easily persuaded to sell one of their prized assets as erstwhile Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui is loath to part with the centre-half. However, the Andalusian club are apparently willing to listen to offers in the region of €80m for Kounde.

Despite his age, the 22-year-old has been colossal at the back for Lopetegui’s side, as well as providing two goals in 18 appearances across all competitions, via WhoScored.

Bye-bye Victor Lindelof

The Red Devils find themselves among a number of contenders jostling for position in the Premier League title race and it seems like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to strengthen his squad before the transfer window shuts in January.

United’s defensive struggles this season thus far have been well-documented, dating back to the defensive meltdown they endured during the humiliating 6-1 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur at the start of the season.

Ed Woodward splashed the cash to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester City and, after a tricky start to his time at Old Trafford, the England international has been a total revelation.

However, Solskjaer has struggled to find a defensive partner for the club captain, with Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and, to some extent, Axel Tuanzebe struggling for consistency alongside Maguire.

Out of the three, it’s probably fair to say that Lindelof is the weakest of those players and since his arrival from Benfica in 2017, he has often divided the fan base.

Whilst the La Liga giants are under no pressure to sell Kounde, whose contract will run out in 2024, he could be the long-term solution to United’s lingering problems at the back. Solskjaer’s side have conceded three goals in their past three games.

In 12 appearances in the Spanish top flight this season, the Frenchman, who reportedly earns around £16,000-per-week, is averaging 1.2 interceptions and 3.4 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

His manager Lopetegui told Marca amid rampant transfer speculation in the latter half of last year: “Jules is our player, he is an important part of the team.”

It’s clear as day that Kounde could be one for the future and he could be United’s starting centre-back for years to come if Woodward brings him to Old Trafford and he is able to hit the ground running.

He may not be the flashiest target, but he is certainly capable of being a very good player at the back. Add in his eye for a goal, coupled with the fact he has Champions League experience, and the youngster is already a well-rounded prospect.

AND in other news, Ed Woodward must secure Man Utd transfer swoop for Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho…

Leicester City keep up with the pack at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a hard-fought draw against Manchester United. The two battled out a 2-2 performance, sharing the spoils which sees them both secure themselves inside the top four.

United have made a dramatic comeback after struggling at the start of the season. They put Leicester to the sword with goals from Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, but an own goal in the dying moments would prove to be their demise and the Foxes managed to bag a point.

The likes of Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans were a thorn in the side of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but a couple of players also let their side down. Marc Albrighton was one man who was a weak link for Leicester, struggling to make an impact down the right-hand side.

Marc Albrighton vs Man United

According to Sofascore, the midfielder made just 19 accurate passes, which was less than Kasper Schmeichel’s 21. Albrighton also lost possession a worrying 20 times and failed to win 59% of his attempted duels.

Additionally, he wasn’t much help tracking back either. The 31-year-old was dribbled past twice and he failed to put in a single interception, block or clearance.

Whilst Leicester come away with what must be viewed as a positive result against an in-form Man United side, they will be disappointed with performances from the likes of the £45,000 per week playmaker. Brendan Rodgers will have wanted to see much more creativity down the flanks to feed Jamie Vardy, who was unable to get involved in any of the goalscoring action this afternoon.

Focus now shifts to their fixture which is just two days away. Leicester will take on Crystal Palace in what they hope will be a win to keep them in the running for this season’s title.

In other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer waxes lyrical about Leicester’s transfer policy…

According to The Daily Record, Glasgow Rangers are reportedly eyeing up a pre-contract move for KV Oostende striker Fashion Sakala.

What’s the word?

With the January transfer window finally in full swing, Steven Gerrard’s side will no doubt be keeping their eyes peeled for some potential reinforcements as they bid to stop Celtic from winning ten in a row.

It’s claimed the Ibrox outfit are looking at bringing in the Zambian international, who has been brought to Gerrard’s attention by the club’s scouts.

The report reveals Sakala finds himself on Rangers’ radar this month amid interest from a host of top clubs across Europe including Kemar Roofe’s former side Anderlecht and Premier League duo Newcastle and West Ham United.

Imagine Sakala and Ianis Hagi

Sakala has been in prolific form for the Belgian side, providing five goals and an assist in 15 appearances in the Jupiler Pro League, via Transfermarkt.

Capable of playing as a centre-forward or on the wing, the speedy 23-year-old would inject some more youth and energy into what is still quite an ageing squad.

Alfredo Morelos has of course been heavily linked with the Ibrox exit, whilst Rangers outcast Greg Stewart is deemed surplus to requirements by Gerrard. It’s about time the Light Blues boss started planning for the future and one way he could do that is by partnering Sakala with Ianis Hagi upfront.

Valued at £1m via Transfermarkt, in 15 top-flight appearances, Sakala is averaging 2.5 shots and 1.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored. He’s also scored 20 goals in 83 games for Oostende – that’s some serious firepower right there with a slightly lower than one-in-four record.

Rangers have shown that they have no problems finding the back of the net, topping the Scottish Premiership charts with a staggering 57 goals in 22 games.

But Sakala could prove to be the final icing on the cake which is why the Gers must sign him with an eye on the future.

AND in other news, Gerrard must unleash Cedric Itten on the right wing against Aberdeen…

Glasgow Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has revealed that Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard “loves” Calvin Bassey in a Q&A with the club’s official website.

Bassey is showing signs of early promise in his club career so far this season since he first arrived at Ibrox from Leicester City in the summer.

For many relatively unknown players, the first move away from their boyhood club is often the biggest tests of their careers, but he is already pushing Borna Barisic for a place in the starting line-up.

In fact, it’s fair to say that Bassey is turning out to be quite a shrewd bit of business at the back. The 20-year-old left-back made his first-team debut for Rangers in the 3-0 win over St Mirren back in August, and has come on leaps and bounds since then.

Gerrard favours an aggressive, possession-based style of play, which is precisely why Bassey is the perfect fit for his preferred playing style. Despite his young age, he has already clocked up eight appearances for the Gers in all competitions this season so far. However, the majority of his appearances have come from the bench, which is to be expected at this moment in time.

Barisic has nailed down the left-back birth over the past few years but Gerrard should put his faith in the youngster – if anything, the sooner the better. Whilst much of the focus was on Bongani Zungu’s long-awaited debut during the 8-0 win over Hamilton Academical before the international break, Bassey’s performance shouldn’t be ignored.

Per SofaScore, he received a high rating of 7.1 for his efforts – he took 46 touches of the ball in 45′ minutes, completed 27 out of 29 passes (93%), produced two key passes, and created one big chance, whilst he made two tackles and won two out of three aerial duels, which shows that he put in a defensive shift as well.

Once lauded as a “fantastic” talent by the Ibrox boss, Bassey has played six games in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, whilst he is averaging 1.5 tackles per game, via WhoScored. To put that into context, even Barisic is only managing fewer than one tackle per league game this term, as per WhoScored.

It won’t be long before the Gers are bracing themselves for offers, that’s for sure. Now Gerrard must return the favour by putting his faith in the prospect. Obviously Barisic is the undisputed first-choice but it’d be good for his development if he is given a cup run or a couple of games in the Europa League. He has made a promising start to the season so far – here’s hoping he can repeat his performances after the international break.

AND in other news, Rangers stalwart Steven Davis struggled as Northern Ireland missed out on Euros…

The summer transfer window may have only closed just a couple of days ago, but one Manchester United player has already been linked with a move away elsewhere…

What’s the word?

Paul Pogba has admitted that he dreams of playing for Real Madrid one day in the future.

When asked to share his thoughts on a potential move to Madrid, the 70-cap French international said: “All football players would love to play for Real Madrid. It is a dream for me, why not one day?”

Pogba is frequently asked about his future when he’s away with France, so you have to admire his honesty, but his comments will likely have gone down like a lead balloon back at Old Trafford.

In fact, it’s downright disrespectful, especially considering the fact that he has hardly covered himself in glory in recent weeks.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side slumped to a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in what turned out to be a miserable afternoon for the Frenchman.

Pogba couldn’t contribute at either end of the pitch and conceded a penalty by bringing down Ben Davies.

As far as United are concerned, he is well within his rights to angle for a move away, as he will get his wish either way if he doesn’t sign a new deal.

However, this isn’t the first time he has been accused of disrespecting the club for speaking so publicly about transfer rumours and the Red Devils have every right to feel aggrieved as they have put up with his errant behaviour for so long.

So, Solskjaer should start to plan for life without Pogba by starting Donny van de Beek instead.

Waiting in the wings?

Ed Woodward signed Van de Beek in the summer but he has mainly been used as a substitute so far.

The Dutch international scored eight goals and supplied five assists in the Eredivisie last term, whilst averaging 1.9 shots, 1.8 key passes and at least 1 dribble per game, as per WhoScored.

Pogba, on the other hand, could only muster one goal and three assists in the Premier League.

If he was producing consistent performances on a regular basis, then perhaps all may be forgiven, but this is simply not the case.

By his standards, Pogba has had a poor start to the season, so it could be argued that Solskjaer needs someone to step in as a deep-lying playmaker and that’s what Van de Beek can do, but only if he is given the chance to prove himself.

Most importantly, he has made it clear he wants to play for the club, whilst Pogba is telling the whole world he wants to move to Madrid.

At 23 years of age, Van de Beek could be the perfect long-term replacement for Pogba, so long as Solskjaer and co. can give him the game time he needs.

AND in other news, Man Utd may live to regret missing out on Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish…