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As per London World, Tottenham managerAntonio Conte has been trying to emulate one thing that Gareth Southgate did at Euro 2020 with England at Hotspur Way.

The Lowdown: Conte makes his mark…

From banning ketchup and mayonnaise at N17 to introducing extra training sessions (London World), the Italian serial winner had always been tipped to establish his order right from the off.

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Serie A experts claimed at the very start of his reign that Conte would be set for ruthless decisions, a distinct change in Tottenham’s philosophy and the introduction of high-intensity football (football.london).

However, in a more holistic approach, London World has now explained what he is emulating at Tottenham in a similar mould to Southgate’s England side at Euro 2020.

The Latest: Conte attempts Southgate trick…

As per London World, Conte has been ‘trying to create an open-door environment at Hotspur Way’ in a ‘similar’ approach employed by Southgate in the summer.

The 52-year-old, as a result, is candid with who deserves to play and who doesn’t – with there even being talk of Steven Bergwijn potentially being used as a makeshift centre-forward.

Conte has also issued one demand to his squad – that every player fights for their minutes in the starting XI.

The Verdict: Interesting approach…

If Conte can replicate an England side which won the hearts of a nation with their impressive run to the Euro 2020 final earlier this year at Tottenham, we believe this could come as an exciting claim.

Much has been made of the former Chelsea boss’ no-nonsense man-management tactics and ruthless demands behind the scenes, but an open approach could be what some Spurs players need to get them firing.

The likes of Dele Alli haven’t lived up to their skillset but Conte’s tactic of creating an ‘open door’ environment could motivate them to push and reignite their careers.

It remains unknown what impact this will have on the squad but it will certainly be interesting to see.

In other news: Tottenham in contact over signing ‘phenomenal’ star as club chiefs spotted in London, find out more here.

According to former West Ham defender Glen Johnson (as shared by football.london), if Jesse Lingard wanted to join the Hammers in the January transfer window, it would already have happened.

The Lowdown: Lingard’s transfer saga with the Hammers

Ever since Lingard’s loan move at West Ham came to an end last summer, the Manchester United midfielder has regularly been linked with a permanent transfer to David Moyes’ side.

From a Hammers perspective, it is easy to see why. During his six-month stint with the club, the 29-year-old played 16 times for the Irons and stunned the footballing world by producing nine goals and five assists in an unbelievable run.

However, life has not been as simple for the midfielder since returning to Old Trafford. Lingard has played just 88 minutes of Premier League football this season, having failed to make the Red Devils’ starting XI once.

With his contract expiring in the summer, the former England international is currently set to leave Man United on a free transfer at the end of the season, with West Ham reportedly interested in securing the player’s signature.

The Latest: Johnson makes Lingard claim

According to former Hammers full-back Glen Johnson (as relayed by football.london), though, Lingard would already be a West Ham player this month if he were truly interested in leaving Man United for good.

The 37-year-old said: “I think if Jesse Lingard really wanted the move himself then it would have happened already. If he genuinely wanted it, then it would have been done.

“He’s not playing at Manchester United. Everyone loved him at West Ham. So if the player wanted to do it, it doesn’t sound like a very difficult deal to do. You can only imagine that he’s trying to stay at Manchester United for whatever reason. I would guess that it’s Jesse that didn’t want to do it and go to anybody else.

“If you were Manchester United you would sell him. And if you were West Ham you would sign him. I think he would be in the West Ham starting XI. I don’t think it would be guaranteed. If he gets there and plays like he did previously he’d nail down a place but I do think they’ve got some good players in that position. I don’t think he would be a guaranteed starter but if he hits the form that he was in before then yes he will be.”

The Verdict: Lingard must not be keen on West Ham return

As suggested by Johnson, it seems that Lingard is not keen on a return to West Ham. Moyes’ previous attempts to lure him back to east London proved unsuccessful, with the English midfielder preferring to stay and fight for his place in the team at Old Trafford.

This is a shame for the 29-year-old’s career, as without regular game-time he will surely not be able to secure a place in the England team ahead of the World Cup later this year. Lingard has made 32 appearances for his country and still has plenty of years left to add to this tally.

With Tottenham also interested in the player, it could become even harder for Moyes to secure Lingard’s signature this month.

In other news – ‘Keeping an eye on’: Journalist drops West Ham transfer news about youngster likened to Gareth Bale

West Ham United travel to Newcastle on Saturday afternoon looking to win a third game in a row, but David Moyes has a number of injury concerns.

The Irons were magnificent for the most part against Leicester City last time out as the London Stadium natives stormed to their third-straight three-goal lead, but faced a nervy finish when Brendan Rodgers’ side pulled it back to 3-2.

Managing to hold out for a 16th win of the Premier League season saw West Ham move to within a point of the third-placed Foxes and they can now put the pressure on the East Midlands outfit, who face Southampton in the FA Cup semi-finals this Sunday.

However, West Ham head to St James’ Park with a number of injury concerns. With that in mind, here’s a potential line-up that Moyes could name, with two changes from the side which beat Leicester…

Moyes will be without Declan Rice at Newcastle as the England international continues his recovery from lateral knee ligament damage, which is likely to keep the midfielder out until May.

Mark Noble has stood in for Rice in recent games before sustaining a “bad” injury against Leicester following a kick to his elbow, although the veteran skipper expects to be fit for this weekend’s trip to the northeast.

While Noble feels he will feature, Moyes is likely to be without Aaron Cresswell after the left-back sustained a hamstring injury at home to Leicester, with the West Ham boss confirming on Friday that it would need to be checked ahead of kick-off.

Cresswell being deemed unavailable will likely see Arthur Masuaku continue his run of appearances at full-back, with a return for Said Benrahma to the starting line-up to offer the Hammers width in attack from the left-hand channel.

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Masuaku had appeared to develop a hamstring injury of his own in the closing stages of West Ham’s 3-2 win over Leicester last Sunday, but is expected to be available at Newcastle after training all week.

Having Masuaku on hand will come as a huge boost for Moyes, who confirmed on Friday that Michail Antonio will again be absent as the striker recovers from a third hamstring injury of the season.

Moyes received an additional boost ahead of travelling to Newcastle with word that Angelo Ogbonna has overcome his high ankle sprain, allowing the Irons’ head coach to recall the Italian brute, who he hailed as “magnificent” earlier in the season.

Ogbonna will be expected to replace Issa Diop in the starting line-up should he receive the green light to start at St James’ Park, and reform the centre-back pairing beside Craig Dawson which kept four clean sheets in eight Premier League games.

AND in other news, a £4.5m-rated West Ham enforcer is being lined up for a summer move out of east London…

Eddie Howe will be thrilled that his team rotation paid off this afternoon at Carrow Road, with Newcastle United taking all three points from the game in an impressive performance that has put his side ninth in the Premier League table.

The Magpies took a comfortable 3-0 win from their visit to Norwich, with Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton finding the back of the net to secure their fourth win on the bounce to put them 15 points clear of the relegation zone.

Howe’s men completely dominated in possession, with 55% of the ball over the 90 minutes, taking seven shots on target and completing over 500 passes in what was a masterclass in both an offensive and defensive regard from the North East outfit.

Despite the spotlight being firmly on the goal-scoring moments of the game, Dan Burn yet again provided a solid performance as the unsung hero worked hard to keep the clean sheet this afternoon.

The £19k-per-week titan said in an interview that he wanted to bring his “passion off the pitch, on to it” at his boyhood club, and he certainly delivered in today’s performance with a defensive showing he should be proud of.

The 6ft4 centre-back won 71% of his duels, made six clearances, four interceptions and one tackle, as well as completed 33 of his 40 passes in the clash, really getting stuck into the game and leading his line with a huge presence.

Burn was one of the signings acquired in January to improve the side and boost the chances of survival in the top flight this season, and to say he has been successful in being a part of that is an understatement with Newcastle winning eight, drawing one and losing just three games the defender has been involved in.

Newcastle have now climbed into the top half of the table and are surely safe from the relegation nightmare they had found themselves in earlier in the season, and with players like Burn joining the side the future is looking bright for the club.

AND in other news: NUFC plot £33m bid for “phenomenal” ace with “magical powers”, he’d get SJP rocking

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that long-term absentee Robin Koch has returned from injury and is ready to make his comeback to Premier League action.

Speaking ahead of Leeds’ clash against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, Bielsa confirmed: “Jamie Shackleton is available now, Robin Koch also, Gaetano Berardi also. The players not available are Pablo Hernandez, Adam Forshaw and Pascal Struijk.”

The return of the £17m-rated Koch is particularly significant given that he started the first 11 Premier League games of his Leeds career, with Bielsa clearly already taking to the German newcomer.

Since then, the likes of Struijk and Luke Ayling have had to do jobs at centre-back given the injury problems suffered by the likes of Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente as well, so it really has been a makeshift back-line for the Whites for a large part of this campaign.

Vincenzo Grifo, Koch’s former teammate at Freiburg, waxed lyrical about his ability to The Athletic, saying: “He’s very vocal at the back and he loves to have the game in front of him. He’s an outstanding organiser. His improvement is incredibly rapid, including in the national team, and he’s on a path to become a world-class player, a monster centre-back.”

Former Whites defender Tony Dorigo dubbed him the “rock” in Leeds’ central defence earlier in the season, and so it must have been seriously frustrating for Bielsa to be without one of his key personnel for so long.

His return to fitness will undoubtedly have Bielsa buzzing, and whether it’s coming on for one of Cooper or Llorente, or being a part of a back three, the added option will be music to the ears of the Leeds manager.

Meanwhile, Leeds should drop this £70k-a-week disaster against Chelsea…

Glasgow Rangers fans are livid at what FC Porto are reportedly prepared to offer for their star striker Alfredo Morelos.

Morelos, who is currently away on international duty with Colombia at the Copa America, has been a fantastic signing for the Gers, scoring 94 goals in 182 games since 2017 (Transfermarkt). However, it seems he could be on the move away from Ibrox this summer, with Cagliari having a bid of €8m (£6.9m) turned down for the 24-year-old according to journalist Bruno Andrade.

Andrade also provided an update on Porto’s interest in the forward – according to Maisfutebol (via Glasgow Live), Morelos’ agent Michael Gorman has travelled to Portugal to discuss a potential transfer. As per Andrade, Porto believe they can sign him for a fee of around €12m (£10.3m).

The news was shared on Twitter by Andrade himself, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Morelos news below

“Rangers rejected an offer of 16m last summer, and that was when Morelos was off boil. He ended second half of season in red hot form. €12m is an insult”

Credit: @simon1872

“€12m Considering we turned down €6m more than that less than a year ago. And I think he’s turned into an all round better player this season. He’s easily £25m now plus a sell on. Anything less shouldn’t even be looked at”

Credit: @Ranger55pares

“12 millions euros. They just after his right boot? Embarrassing.”

Credit: @BMCRangersRants

“You’re valuation is about half of the reality. So, so far off.”

Credit: @AmatoTheArcher

“€12m. Do some research.”

Credit: @WestEndBluenose

“12 MILLION AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA he got offers like that his first season”

Credit: @George_1872

In other news, Rangers fans rage at this Euro 2020 news.

Celtic’s hunt for a new manager is approaching a month now but we’re still no closer to discovering who’ll be sitting in the Bhoys dugout next season.

Roy Keane was thought to be the favourite but in recent days Lucien Favre and Thierry Henry have both emerged on their radar.

What’s the word?

Another manager who had been on Celtic’s radar in the last few weeks was Chris Wilder.

The Englishman left Sheffield United with his team rock bottom of the Premier League and he now has no shortage of suitors.

Celtic were dealt a blow in their chase of Wilder last week when it was revealed that a potential sticking point in their pursuit would be his pay-off. The former Blades boss is set to receive money from the club over the next six months, a sum that would get smaller if he finds a new job.

However, in a fresh twist to the tale, they have been dealt another almighty blow. That’s because according to The Daily Mail, Burnley have now entered the race for Wilder.

Fortunately, that will only happen if Sean Dyche decides to finally leave his post in the summer.

The outlet claims that Wilder is set to become one of the hottest properties over the next few months, meaning Celtic will have to move quickly if they want him.

Bad news for the Hoops

Dermot Desmond hasn’t particularly had the easiest few weeks in the Celtic hierarchy.

Questioned over his future in Glasgow last week, he will be left tearing his hair out at the repeated setbacks in their quest to find a new manager.

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Jesse Marsch has already been ruled out of the running in what was the biggest blow to their aspirations yet. The American revealed he was honoured to be linked with the job but he has now been linked with Borussia Monchengladbach.

It seems as though the coaches that Celtic target are all in demand. Fortunately, however, they do have some breathing room between now and next season.

Wilder should have been one of the names at the top of their wish list though. He is a canny thinker, is astute defensively and has plenty of success under his belt; he took Sheffield United from League One to the Premier League.

Desmond will have to hope that Wilder doesn’t become one who got away.

AND IN other news, Reliable journo shares six-word update on Celtic manager hunt, fans should be buzzing…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leeds United defender Jon Newsome thinks West Brom’s Matheus Pereira could be the ideal summer recruit for Marcelo Bielsa.

Pereira is currently being linked with a move away from the Baggies following their relegation to the Championship, with Leeds one club who are said to be interested.

The Express reports that the Yorkshire club are keen on bringing the Brazilian attacker to Elland Road when the transfer window opens, though FA Cup winners Leicester City are at the front of the queue for his signature.

Newsome, however, believes Pereira is exactly the kind of player his old side needs. He told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“I think one of the roles, I wouldn’t say they struggle with, but that 10, in behind Patrick Bamford, that No.10 role.

“Tyler Roberts has played it for predominantly most of the season and, although he’s had a decent season, he’s still not got off the mark in terms of scoring goals. I can see him [Pereira] dropping in there.

“That is an area that I think the club will be looking at.”

As well as Leicester, the Express also claims that West Ham and RB Leipzig are interested in signing the player, so bringing him to Elland Road does not look like it is going to be easy.

Pereira has been extremely impressive in the Premier League this season, scoring and creating for his side. Earlier in the campaign, he was highlighted as a major threat by Pep Guardiola before Manchester City took on West Brom.

Many Wolves fans have been left to blast the display of Joao Moutinho in their 1-0 away loss at Everton in the Premier League on Wednesday evening.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men ended up coming away with nothing at Goodison Park as they were beaten by a Richarlison header.

The Midlands club really lacked a cutting edge, and some of their players did not really rise up to the occasion of having fans back in the stadium.

One of them was Moutinho, who lost out on four of his duels, and also failed to record a single shot on target or clearance, while he lost possession of the ball on no fewer than on 21 separate occasions in the match, the third-most out of any player to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).

Wolves fans on Moutinho display

These members of the Molineux faithful blasted his performance on Twitter, with a couple of WWFC supporters even going as far as to claim that he is ‘finished’:

“I’m afraid Moutinho is finished, too old too slow and too negative. #wolves #wwfc”

Credit: @Jedimaster26044

“Sell Neves, Moutinho, Saiss and Dendoncker they offer absolutely nothing #wwfc”

Credit: @Adam11520205

“Moutinho out! #wwfc”

Credit: @glynntaylor

“Moutinho performance is tough to watch here. Awful. #wwfc”

Credit: @TomHiggsWWFC

“Moutinho off and in a retirement home asap #wwfc”

Credit: @wwfcltd

“I guess this what happens when Moutinho played so many games last season, he is finished #wwfc”

Credit: @ryharding_

In other news, find out whose display was slammed versus Everton here!

West Ham United are close to sealing their second signing on deadline day…

What’s the word?

According to the Telegraph’s chief football correspondent Jason Burt, a loan move for Spartak Moscow midfielder Alex Kral is “90% done”.

“West Ham close to signing Czech international midfielder Alex Kral from Spartak Moscow. Told deal is 90% done. Loan with an option to buy.. some good business being done,” he tweeted.

The Czech Republic international is a player that David Moyes and the club have followed for quite some time, with the Scot even scouting him in person at Euro 2020.

“They have been following him since January but were shocked they get him in on loan and have moved quickly,” revealed 90min’s Graeme Bailey soon after these reports first emerged today.

Moyes masterclass

This late flurry of signings from Moyes and co is very encouraging indeed.

The 58-year-old has been crying out for some depth across his playing squad and he certainly seems to be getting exactly that – Kurt Zouma has bolstered the backline, they’ve found a Jesse Lingard replacement in Nikola Vlasic, and now they edge closer to a solid back-up to Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice.

An injury to either would leave Moyes with only retiring Mark Noble in the engine room and that’s the last thing they need heading into a Europa League campaign, in which they’ll soon be playing two times a week, minimum.

Interestingly, a move for Kral seemingly fell through earlier in the summer after his sub-par showing at Euro 2020, according to The Athletic, so to be able to sign him on loan to take a look at him first-hand, is certainly a wise and shrewd decision.

It means the east Londoners won’t have to commit a transfer fee, so it appears to be a low-risk signing all-round and one that is likely to leave many singing Moyes’ praises once again.

You only have to look at his deals for Soucek and Vladimir Coufal to know that he can spot a player when he sees one. Nobody would’ve known either player before they arrived at the London Stadium and now they’re two of the first names on the team sheet and easy fan favourites.

Similarly, it’s unlikely that many could’ve foreseen the vast impact that Lingard had on the squad, given his lack of game time prior to his loan move.

If Moyes and the Irons can get Kral in on loan before tonight’s deadline, then it’s merely another example of the Hammers’ boss working his magic in the transfer market.

It has to be considered yet another masterclass.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee: West Ham in talks with four players on Deadline Day