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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

Kevin Campbell believes that Tottenham manager Antonio Conte will sign Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij in January, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Spurs’ centre-back options

The Italian, who tends to go with a back three system, has five senior centre-backs at his disposal at this moment in time.

Eric Dier and Cristian Romero have been used in his first two games in charge, along with left-back Ben Davies as a third centre-back. That has left no place for Davinson Sanchez, Japhet Tanganga or Joe Rodon, and it seems that he is after a marquee defensive addition in the New Year.

The Latest: De Vrij links; Campbell’s comments

Reports at the beginning of the month suggested that Conte wants Tottenham to sign De Vrij, with an A-list centre-back a top priority.

The 29-year-old, who was labelled a ‘monster’ by former Lazio defender Mauricio, was a regular under Conte during his time with Inter and is under contract with the Italian giants until 2023.

Campbell, who regularly features as a pundit for Sky Sports, was asked by Football Insider if De Vrij would be a smart signing. Although he questioned if Spurs needed a new defender, he backed Tottenham to get a deal over the line, if that is what Conte wants, saying:

“Do they need another centre-half? They have got numbers back there.

“Conte will have his own mind of what he wants to do and how he wants to play. They key is signing players who are going to make this team better. They don’t need bodies.

“If De Vrij is the one Conte’s wants, Spurs will go and get him. Conte is very ruthless like that. I’m sure we’ll see him in a Spurs shirt soon.”

The Verdict: Smart move?

De Vrij is a player Conte knows quite well from their mutual time at Inter, so he’ll be well aware of the specific attributes that the Dutch defender would bring to Tottenham along with his wealth of international experience.

With Davies being used out of position as a third centre-back, that could speak volumes in regards to Conte’s thoughts on Sanchez, Tanganga and Rodon.

If he doesn’t feel that the trio are good enough, then a marquee centre-back signing in the New Year could prove to be a shrewd decision, and it seems as if that man could well be De Vrij.

In other news: ‘The real winner’ of Conte’s appointment will still be sold in Spurs clearout, pundit predicts

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as some manager news emerged involving Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

As per Sky Sports, the Dutchman is now ‘close’ to agreeing a deal in principle to become the next manager at Ibrox, following the departure of Steven Gerrard to Aston Villa.

The Light Blues are understood to be ‘very pleased’ with the latest developments after a thorough process led by Ross Wilson, with a number of ‘strong candidates’ on their list.

However, it looks as if they have finally secured their man in GvB, ahead of a vital Scottish League Cup semi-final against Hibernian on Sunday.

Van Bronckhorst would certainly be a popular appointment among the Gers faithful, given that he is a two-time Scottish Premiership winner as a player with the Teddy Bears, and also did very well as a coach at Feyenoord, who he guided to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years back in the 2016/17 campaign (BBC).

He also won four other major trophies with the Rotterdam club.

Rangers fans on van Bronckhorst manager news

These RFC supporters buzzed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one going as far as to claim that they are ‘excited’ about Gerrard’s successor:

“Yesss”

Credit: @declanlally

“Happy days”

Credit: @Damien1872

“Purposely kept quiet since the rumblings started because of another potential let down… however NOW I’M GETTING EXCITED!”

Credit: @crombie_nicola

“Just what I like to hear”

Credit: @LeeHendon1

“Gio Gio Gio Gio”

Credit: @NicolaScott1998

“The closure I need”

Credit: @DuncansonCiaran

In other news, find out what international footage has Gers gushing here!

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.

Many Everton fans have been left to laud Jordan Pickford as the former Sunderland ace spoke about his “good” form lately.

Speaking to evertontv, with his comments relayed by the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, Pickford also claimed that mentally he is “in a very good place” after finding himself out injured for a while in February, as he looks ahead to the Merseyside club’s next game at home to Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

The England international has been in very good form recently, despite conceding the penalty away at Chelsea as Carlo Ancelotti’s team lost the match 2-0. Before that game, in which he made a number of decent saves as well, he had kept three clean sheets in a row in the top flight, helping his side claim nine points and really aid their push to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the start of the 2021/22 term.

Everton fan reaction to Pickford comments

These Toffees supporters lauded Pickford on Twitter after reading his comments, with one Blues fan even going as far as to claim that the 27-year-old goalkeeper has been “outstanding”:

“He’s been simply outstanding”

Credit: @CBobblers1878

“Been great”

Credit: @_jennifer1878

“Been in phenomenal form lately. Keep it going lad”

Credit: @alexdsmiff

“My MOTM the last few games”

Credit: @Nirosta

“Been superb”

Credit: @Upper__Gwladys

“Much improved lately, hopefully can continue. Showing people why he’s Everton and England No1”

Credit: @PaulAshcroft8

In other news, find out what early news before Burnley has left fans fuming here!

David Moyes must push West Ham United to agree to new contracts with both Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek amid doubts about the midfield stars’ long-term futures at the London Stadium.

That’s the view of Jason Cundy, who has told talkSPORT (9/3, 09:00) that he expects interest to emerge in the upcoming summer transfer market due to their sensational form.

Rice and Soucek, along with Aaron Cresswell, are the only Irons players to have featured for every minute of the Premier League season so far, with 100% appearance records to their names after 27 games.

The pair’s fast-established relationship in the year following Soucek’s initial loan switch, before a £19m move from Slavia Prague in the off-season, has them dictating the Hammers’ game plan from the engine room and leading a Champions League qualification charge.

West Ham sit just a point outside of the top-four after beating Leeds United 2-0 on Monday, but hold what may be a crucial game in hand over Chelsea. And Cundy expects UEFA football could be the Irons’ only hope of keeping Soucek and Rice this summer.

“They are going to struggle to hold on to them, the two midfielders,” the former Tottenham defender said. “If big-money bids come in, West Ham will possibly – unless they are in the Champions League – find it hard to hold on to them because huge money is going to come in for those two.

“Soucek has been brilliant; there is not a lot he can’t do! He can win the ball, he scores goals, he’s good in the air, he’s defensively solid… all round, they’ve got a little bit of everything, Rice and Soucek.

“They’re possibly the best two in the country, the best midfield partnership. If there’s anyone out there better than those two, there ain’t many better than them.”

As well as being mainstays of Moyes’ plans, Soucek is West Ham’s top-scorer in the Premier League this season with eight goals, while Rice is the on-field general in the absence of captain Mark Noble.

West Ham will surely be able to hold firm in demanding vastly lucrative sums for Soucek and Rice at the end of the season, having rebuffed Chelsea’s advances for the latter last summer with an £80m asking price when Frank Lampard sought to land the England international.

Moyes has even stated recently that he believes Rice is now worth “far, far more than £100m,” which is the valuation slapped on the former Blues trainee by the Irons’ owners amid alleged approaches from Manchester United and Liverpool to his agent.

But Moyes stating publicly how highly he is worth could see Rice grow unhappy with still being on the same £60,000-per-week contract struck back in December 2018, before claims emerged in The Sun last October of a £120k-p/w deal being likely after Lampard’s advances.

It was thought Rice was due to be rewarded with a double-your-money pay rise as recognition of his standing at the London Stadium, and a similar sentiment was touted for Soucek in December amid claims of interest from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

Rice and Soucek’s partnership and importance at the London Stadium has only continued to grow with almost every fixture, to see them lauded for tirelessly running Leeds into the ground on Monday and adding a sense of calm into the occasional chaos.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher had also claimed there is no better box-to-box midfielder in the Premier League than Soucek before the Whites visited east London.

“When we’re talking about box-to-box midfielders, there’s nobody better in the Premier League right now than Soucek,” he said on Sky Sports, via quotes by talkSPORT.

“The goals stand out massively – that is huge for a midfield player and is a big reason why West Ham are where they are.

“Aerial duels won is just off the scale. No midfielder in the last ten years has managed that many… since Marouane Fellaini!”

Soucek, who currently earns £67k-p/w, has won (155) and contested (258) more aerial duels than any other player in the top-flight this term and he – plus Rice – will surely need new contracts offered if Moyes is to keep both at West Ham beyond the end of the season.

AND in other news, West Ham eye summer swoop for £35k-p/w gem with “boundless energy”…

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

West Ham United have been gifted a huge injury boost ahead of their FA Cup clash with non-league side Stockport County as Arthur Masuaku may not need a second operation.

That’s according to Claret and Hugh, who claim the DR Congo international is making cautious progress toward a return to full training after undergoing surgery to fix a knee injury that had affected the 27-year-old for almost two years.

David Moyes expected Masuaku to face several months on the sidelines with fears of a second operation being required, should the Irons left-back continue to feel any lingering issues.

Masuaku is not believed to have reported any discomfort since the initial operation last month, having returned to slight training, with the £7m-rated ace able to carry out work in the gym despite continuing to have his knee in a brace.

West Ham will allow Masuaku further time for the injury to heal before increasing his training programme, with a view to having the Lille-born defender back available for first-team selection before the end of the season.

Masuaku had become Moyes’ favoured left-back before the unexpected surgery, with the former Manchester United boss calling on the £40,000-per-week dynamo to start all 10 of his Premier League appearances between matchdays two and 11.

Aaron Cresswell returned to the role against Leeds United and has continued to hold down the position since, barring last month’s 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion when academy product Ben Johnson was handed his first and only top-flight start of the term.

Masuaku eying a potential return before the end of the season will be warmly received by West Ham co-owner and Chairman David Sullivan, who may otherwise have been forced to spend in the winter market with Moyes rightly cautious about over-exerting Cresswell.

Moyes’ reluctance to place too much reliance on Cresswell has seen the Hammers linked with a string of potential options, including Rangers’ Borna Barisic, Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, FC Barcelona’s Junior Firpo and Brentford’s Rico Henry.

Sullivan may now be able to convince Moyes to manage with Johnson serving as Cresswell’s deputy if Masuaku is likely to return before the end of the season, and put any available funds toward strengthening other areas of the side this month.

AND in other news: David Sullivan must boot an unwanted “fighter”, who’s played just four Premier League minutes this season, out of West Ham in January.

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been sharing their concern after Jack Grealish’s agent spoke out regarding the midfielder’s future.

The 25-year-old has been heavily linked with a Villa Park exit in recent months, with Manchester City thought to be after his signature this summer.

Grealish only signed a new five-year deal with the club back in September, but it seems as if City will launch a big-money bid for the attacking midfielder, should they win the Champions League later this month.

Speculation appears to be growing ahead of the upcoming transfer window, and Grealish’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, addressed the player’s future.

Talking to Sky Sports, Barnett admitted the midfielder loves the club, however, he added in a dreaded ‘but’, claiming they will have to wait and see how things pan out over the summer.

“He loves Villa but I think we just have to wait and see how things pan out. At the moment he is a Villa player and he has no thoughts about anything else.”

Villa fans react

Those comments were shared on Twitter by @villareport on Thursday evening.

Their post received plenty of interaction, with these Villa supporters sharing their concern at Barnett’s future comments.

“that “but” had me shook”Credit: @compsavfc_”oh no”Credit: @tiwari0216″Inevitable he’ll go at some point if he’s got any ambition. I would! He’s looking at his mates Foden and Mount thinking I WANT A BIT OF THAT “Credit: @chippaper”Yeah he’s off”Credit: @MBlackmore1874″The dreaded but.”Credit: @AJWise”What?”Credit: @smudgersmith__

In other news: Major Carney Chukwuemeka development emerges, find out more here. 

This hasn’t exactly been an easy January for Leeds United to negotiate. Heading into their clash with Newcastle this week, they’d yet to score or win in 2021.

On top of that, they’ve also failed to strengthen in the January transfer window.

On the chalkboard

Fortunately, things are getting better for Leeds. They defeated the Magpies 2-1 on Tuesday and now it looks as though enigmatic left-back Gjanni Alioski is heading for the exit door.

A report from Fotosport (via Sport Witness) claim that with Alioski’s contract expiring in the summer, he has reached an agreement with Galatasaray in Turkey to move there in the next transfer window.

Players are free to discuss a pre-contract arrangement with foreign clubs from this month onwards if their deal expires in six months and thus, it appears the North Macedonian is set to bring his stay at Elland Road to an end.

This wouldn’t be a huge loss for Leeds, however, who are bound to be frustrated with some of his performances. He was torn apart by Manchester United and Daniel James last month while he put in another unconvincing performance against Newcastle this week.

Previously described as a “liability” by Noel Whelan, it’s unlikely he’ll be missed too much in Yorkshire.

The solution

Leeds have had a problem at left-back for a number of years now. Ever since Charlie Taylor departed for Burnley, they have been found wanting in that area of the pitch. Gaetano Berardi deputised there for a period but he has one of the worst disciplinary records in the club’s history, being red-carded on seven occasions.

Stuart Dallas has played there and so too has Alioski. Though, the fact of the matter is that neither are natural left-backs. The former is used to playing on the right while the latter is a winger by trade.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-leeds-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Leeds news!”]

It’s hard to suggest Barry Douglas’ time worked out either. He’s now at Blackburn on loan and failed to score for the Whites despite being a set-piece wizard for Wolves before arriving.

Thus, there is a pretty large problem to solve – one that can be fixed by signing a proper left-back.

In Josh Doig they could well find that. The Hibernian youngster has been linked with a move to Sunderland, Leeds, Manchester City and Celtic in recent days in a switch that could cost £1m.

Not only would this be a bargain for Victor Orta, but it would also help to replace Alioski perfectly. That’s because they possess similar qualities.

In Goal’s report about Doig this week, they wrote the following about the 18-year-old: “Scouts have noted Doig’s attacking output as a huge part of his game, with his crossing ability and tireless running two of his key attributes.”

That sounds an awful like Alioski, someone who loves to stride forward and provide goals and assists. Fortunately, however, Doig is also very capable defensively.

The teenager was only given his first taste of senior football this season but has since played on 17 occasions in the Scottish Premiership. He has become a regular under Jack Ross and is incredibly strong in the tackle.

Doig has won a colossal 2.1 tackles per game this season, a tally that not only usurps Alioski (1.8) but also a great deal of Leeds’ team. In fact, the Hibs defender would be placed fifth for that certain statistic out of United’s regular starters.

Leeds have lacked a defender with the ability to do the simple things right from a defensive point of view for a while and that’s exactly why they need to sign Doig. Add that to the fact he’d cost just £1m and this would be the perfect deal for Marcelo Bielsa.

AND in other news, 3 new signings, Bielsa favourite axed: How Leeds’ XI could look after deadline day…