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West Ham United have initiated talks regarding a deal to bring Nathaniel Phillips to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by West Ham insiders Claret & Hugh, who revealed that David Moyes and his transfer team are in discussions with the Liverpool centre-back ahead of a potential move in the winter market.

However, the insiders go on to suggest that the 58-year-old manager will first have to hold a meeting with the club’s new board in order to discuss his plans for the January transfer window, as well as the funds he will have at his disposal this winter.

Forget Ogbonna

With centre-back pair Angelo Ogbonna – anterior cruciate ligament injury – and Kurt Zouma – hamstring tendon injury – both facing lengthy spells on the sidelines, the heart of the West Ham defence is undoubtedly an area of the pitch in which Moyes simply must strengthen next month.

And, while it is undeniable that he is a player of extreme importance to the Hammers, should the club manage to get a deal over the line for Phillips this January, he could well be a signing who ultimately goes on to take Ogbonna’s place alongside Zouma in Moyes’ backline.

Indeed, over his 17 Premier League appearances for Liverpool last season, the £7.2m-rated man was in excellent form, helping his side keep seven clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, 4.8 clearances and winning a whopping 7.5 duels per game.

The player who Jurgen Klopp dubbed a “monster” who is “absolutely insane” also chipped in going forwards, scoring one goal, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 0.9 shots and making 0.4 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £65k-per-week centre-back earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.19, ranking him as the Reds’ fourth-best performer in the league last time out.

As such, should Phillips be able to refind this form after a potential switch to East London, it would not be surprising to see him take the place of Ogbonna in Moyes’ starting XI going forwards – leading us to believe that the West Ham board must do all they can do land the Liverpool defender in the January window.

In other news: West Ham can repeat Lingard masterclass with “unique” £21m beast who’s “irreplaceable”

Everton made five signings during the January transfer window, adding experienced players like Donny Van de Beek and Dele Alli, as well as securing the signature of young talents like Nathan Patterson; and now Frank Lampard has the opportunity to put together a team which can pick up vital wins and climb the Premier League into a safer position than their current placing of 16th.

The Toffees are currently just four points above the drop zone in the league, and the former Chelsea boss has been brought in for a fresh perspective in finding solutions to the mounting issues the club has faced this season, with an injury crisis, fans turning on the owners in multiple protests and the poor performances on the pitch from the players who have only secured five wins out of 20 league games.

When Lampard was at Chelsea, he had a strong ethos in developing young players and giving them opportunities in the first team. This contributed to the success of players like Mason Mount and Reece James, who were both instrumental in Chelsea’s Champions League-winning campaign last year.

Right-back James was given his Premier League debut by Lampard in 2019 at just 19 years of age and quickly became a first team regular. The Everton boss now has the opportunity to emulate his successful development of the Chelsea starlet by giving 20-year-old Patterson – who was dubbed “amazing” by Scotland team-mate Che Adams – his Premier League now as well.

The Scottish right-back was signed from Rangers in January by Rafael Benitez after having a fantastic start to his career for both club and country. His most notable performance came from his latest Scotland start, when he scored the opening goal and set up the second to help his nation secure a spot in the World Cup play-offs, which take place at the end of March.

With Seamus Coleman now 33 and into the final 18 months of his contract, the signing of Patterson could be the perfect opportunity to start phasing out the Irishman and integrating more youth into the defence.

That would allow Lampard to mould the youngster into the player he wants to see at right-back, which could be in the more offensive role that we have seen from James at Chelsea. Patterson has shown glimpses of his capability to achieve just that when you look at his aforementioned performance for Scotland.

It will be interesting to see how Lampard sets up his Everton team against Brentford on Saturday in the FA Cup, when the Toffees return to action at Goodison Park for the first time since the 43-year-old took on the head coach role. Hopefully Patterson will be granted a senior Blues debut, potentially the first step to becoming Everton’s answer to James.

In other news: Everton must finally offload this flop

Aston Villa could be ready to get rid of some deadwood in their squad as Steven Gerrard approaches his first summer transfer window with the Premier League side.

What’s the word?

That’s according to journalist Pete O’Rourke who claimed to GIVEMESPORT that Steven Gerrard will be “looking to strengthen” his options out wide ahead of his first full season in charge of Villa.

He said: “Villa are probably going to lose a couple of wingers in the summer with El Ghazi out on loan at Everton and Trezeguet out on loan in Turkey.

“So, that’s two wingers who the club will most likely look to move on. So, it’s going to be an area that Steven Gerrard will be looking to strengthen as well.”

Gerrard needs to bolster attacking options

El Ghazi and Trezeguet have both been out on loan at Everton and Istanbul Basaksehir FK respectively for the second half of the campaign with contrasting success.

Trezeguet has scored five times in just nine appearances for the Turkish side whilst El Ghazi has only played twice for Everton in what is an underwhelming loan spell, to say the least.

With both players making a combined three appearances under Steven Gerrard, then fans will be ecstatic to hear of the news that they could both depart at the end of the campaign.

Gerrard will undeniably want to bring in his own players, with Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne arriving in January, he is stamping his authority on this Villa squad.

Results have been mixed, however, with some bright periods intersected by poor spells and this has largely been the nature of their season.

Villa have been linked to attacking options such as Ryan Kent, via the Daily Mail and Foot Mercato reported on their interest in Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby last summer, then there seem to be plenty of options out there for Gerrard to ponder.

The summer transfer window will be a key one for Villa, and if they have a bad start next season, then Gerrard will surely be feeling the pressure so recruitment must be excellent.

AND in other news, Gerrard now plotting AVFC bid for £46k-p/w “phenomenon”, he’s better than Phillips

The 26th of March marked five years since Jamie Vardy’s first goal for England against Germany.

The striker, then making his fifth appearance for his country, showed lethal instincts to flick Nathaniel Clyne’s cross behind himself and past Manuel Neuer into the back of the net.

It was another glorious chapter for Vardy, whose goals were soon to guide Leicester to the most miraculous Premier League title triumph.

However, fast-forward five years and the 34-year-old is now firmly out of the Three Lions reckoning, having all-but retired from international duty after the 2018 World Cup in Russia with 26 caps and seven goals to his name.

Whilst there have been suggestions that Vardy’s decision was slightly too premature, he has certainly been vindicated.

Since he stepped back, his performances for the Foxes have remained excellent. He has scored an eye-watering 55 goals for Leicester in the time following, playing a key role as the East Midlanders secured a place in the UEFA Europa League last term but also as they look to better that with a UEFA Champions League return this time around.

The striker, dubbed “wonderful” by Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers, scooped another fantastic personal achievement last year, too. He become the first Leicester City player to claim the Golden Boot, with his 23 strikes in 2019/20 enough to see him edge ahead of the likes of Harry Kane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mo Salah.

All of this may not have been possible had Vardy had the strains and travels of international football to contend with.

After all, the toll on his body appears to be worsening already. Vardy has missed seven matches in all competitions this season through injury – the highest amount for he has been unavailable in one campaign since Leicester earned promotion back to the Premier League. This could have potentially been even worse with England duties had he not stepped back from the international scene.

At the time of his unofficial retirement, the veteran also suggested that a lack of game-time had “an impact” in his decision. Kane, Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck were all preferred by Roy Hodgson and Gareth Southgate.

That competition has only been enhanced, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins, Patrick Bamford and of course Kane having fantastic personal seasons and all vying for a place in the Three Lions setup.

Whilst it could be argued that Vardy has the quality to challenge for a place, he will reflect on a solid England career which all kicked off with that stunning finish against Germany in 2016, and will surely believe he made the correct decision in drawing it to a close when he did.

AND in more news, Leicester should not look to sign William Carvalho once more…

Leeds United appear to be leading the race for long-term target Rodrigo de Paul.

The Whites were linked with the Argentine last summer and reportedly came agonisingly close to landing the central midfielder ahead of their first season back in the Premier League.

However, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side all but guaranteeing their top-flight status for the 2021/22 campaign, links to De Paul are starting to resurface.

‘Leeds above all’ for De Paul

A recent report from TuttoAtalanta, cited by TEAMtalk, shared Atalanta’s interest in the €35m-rated star.

The story claimed Udinese are open to selling the player in the upcoming window, but De Paul’s choice this summer is ‘Leeds above all’.

The likes of Liverpool and Inter Milan are also thought to be keen on the 26-year-old, but it seems as if a move to Yorkshire is one that is appealing to De Paul the most at this moment in time.

Transfer Tavern take

Should a €35m (£29.8m) deal go through this summer, De Paul would become the club’s most expensive signing of all time – eclipsing Rodrigo Moreno’s move last year.

De Paul’s potential arrival could prove to be a huge moment for the Whites. It seems as if Bielsa could do with a marquee addition in the middle of the park to help Kalvin Phillips and Mateusz Klich.

Utility man Stuart Dallas has been solid in recent weeks, however, if Leeds want to progress, bringing in a player of De Paul’s quality could be massive in the long run.

In other news: Leeds keen on 16-goal forward this summer, find out more here. 

A number of Manchester City fans are far from happy after it was confirmed by Felix Nmecha that he has left the club following the expiration of his contract.

There has been plenty of focus on Felix’s brother Lukas, who enjoyed a positive spell at Anderlecht last term before firing Germany to European Under-21 Championship glory earlier this summer. As of yet, he is still a Man City player, but he has been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium (The Sun).

One Nmecha who will definitely no longer be playing his football in Manchester is Felix, as confirmed by the player himself. The 20-year-old has impressed at youth level for the Citizens, scoring 27 goals throughout his time at the club (Transfermarkt), but he has made just three appearances for the senior side and has now moved on to look for more playing time elsewhere.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with some raging at director of football Txiki Begiristain for failing to keep hold of Felix Nmecha, who one supporter rated on a talent level similar to Kevin De Bruyne.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Nmecha leaving

“We’re gonna regret that. Felix is a baller”

Credit: @Fodeninho_

“Everyone is leaving…are we safe?”

Credit: @ZambianCity

“No cash just vibes, Txiki out”

Credit: @TheGismyName

“Every Spanish team is leaving Man City Academy…. every young promising player is also being released… Pep wants to see Man City going down so he could go back and coach the young players he released from City”

Credit: @AvumileNeo

“KDB level talent”

Credit: @BluuMoonRising

“Txiki is destroying this club from inside. Terrible terrible TD. Also it’s not only Txiki but half the board that are responsible for this mess. We sell our players for peanuts or let them go for free. We buy average players as well. Sack them all. The Spain enclave sucks.”

Credit: @Achillaes

In other news, some Man City fans slammed this player’s comments.

Manchester City fans were far from happy with the performance of Raheem Sterling during their victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Citizens put themselves within one win of the Premier League title with a fairly comfortable victory over the Eagles (Sky Sports). Sergio Aguero and Ferran Torres netted to give their side all three points, and now Pep Guardiola and his men can look forward to their Champions League semi-final second leg on this week against Paris Saint-Germain.

The display of Sterling, though, did not go down well at all. The 26-year-old England international started the game after missing out on the first leg in Paris, but he was one of the few players who struggled in the match, completing just 29 passes (SofaScore) and spending much of the game on the periphery of the play, while also losing possession of the ball 12 times.

The City fans were far from happy with that they saw from Sterling, and they took to Twitter in their droves to share their thoughts on the forward.

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

“Sterling is the worst footballer ever I REALLY hope we sell him”

Credit: @mcikevz

“Sterling calmly making Joel Ward look like prime Maldini”

Credit: @CW1LK5

“Nah I’m convinced sterling doesn’t want to play anymore”

Credit: @Zuki_1

“Two strikers and no shots on target in first half. Sterling up to his usual useless level and Mendy the lumbering buffoon should never be on the pitch.”

Credit: @PaulHardcastl16

“Sterling disaster”

Credit: @aritra_akr13

“The fact that we’re probably keeping Sterling and letting Agüero go makes me disgusted”

Credit: @NickMCFC1894

In other news, Man City fans are unhappy at news on this 22-year-old.

As confirmed by the club, West Ham United will take on Scottish giants Celtic in a pre-season friendly on Saturday 24 July in Glasgow – with many Irons supporters raving over the ‘great news’ as they potentially get handed the opportunity to attend a prestigious encounter.

Indeed, with the club officially announcing it on social media, Hammers fans could watch their side in action as they take on 51-time SPFL champions Celtic at Parkhead.

Depending on COVID-19 protocol, supporters may be allowed to attend the match-up north of the border as West Ham gear up for what is set to be a very interesting 2021/2022 season.

David Moyes’ men qualified for the Europa League with a thrilling 3-0 home win over Southampton at the weekend and the Irons boss will now be able to watch as his current side face off against the club where he started his professional playing career.

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Flocking to social media, it’s safe to say many fans were thrilled with this announcement as one even called it ‘great news’ – and it’s little wonder given the prestige of their opponent and the potential for a memorable summer away day, depending on developments.

Find all of their best verdicts from Twitter down below.

West Ham fans rave as club confirm Celtic friendly

“Great news”

Credit: @garageland66

“Absolutely brilliant taking the Boss home for a friendly! Great history between the two clubs we have shared some outstanding players in the past. This will be a terrific day”

Credit: @ZaynafamilyMary

“Ooooooooo”

Credit: @joelitt78828048

“Buzzing”

Credit: @RileyConn_

“Cor this will have to be done”

Credit: @H_RICHY

“Oh my god…

Celtic away on my birthday – the dream weekend has finally happened

I AM SO EXCITED”

Credit: @Jacktheflippa

“The only thing standing in the way of this is Sturgeon, come on. I’m on my knees”

Credit: @DOWHU_1995

“Phwoarrrr I cannot wait for this. I’m in Blackpool the day before this as well should be a few good days!”

Credit: @AzamWHUFC

In other news: West Ham fans in awe as GSB allegedly eye this ‘perfect signing’, find out more here.

Former Tottenham Hotspur ace Paul Stewart believes that Dele Alli would be enthused by the prospect of the club appointing Mauricio Pochettino as manager once again.

Spurs have been linked with a sensational reunion with the Argentine in recent days.

Goal reported over the weekend that Pochettino, who is also a target for Real Madrid after Zinedine Zidane’s departure, has asked to leave PSG this summer.

The Athletic reported last week that Spurs had entered into talks with Pochettino over a move that would see him return to north London just 18 months after his sacking.

Alli, of course, was one of the chief beneficiaries of Pochettino’s first reign at the club, as he moved to the club from MK Dons and became an integral member of the first-team, while also earning England recognition.

In total, Alli made 194 appearances under Pochettino, scoring 55 goals and laying on 52 assists.

This season, under Jose Mourinho, the 25-year-old was marginalised, though, making just seven starts in the Premier League.

And Stewart has told The Transfer Tavern exclusively that Alli would surely be delighted if Pochettino did choose to return.

He said: “I’m sure Dele Alli would be smiling from ear to ear because he hasn’t really hit it off with the managers that proceeded Poch.

“Poch seemed to play him a lot.”

The expectations of Aston Villa fans may not have been overly high when their club signed Tyrone Mings for a rather sizeable £20m back in the summer of 2019, however, the centre-back has gone on to prove he was well worth Johan Lange’s considerable gamble.

Indeed, having highly impressed over his 15 Championship appearances while on loan at Villa back in 2018/19, helping his side keep six clean sheets, it certainly appeared as if signing the defender was a smart move by the club, albeit with an inflated transfer fee – with the 28-year-old’s Transfermarkt valuation at the time of his switch to Villa Park being just £4.5m.

However, Mings has gone from strength to strength since joining Villa on a permanent basis, demonstrating he was well worth the fee the Premier League side paid AFC Bournemouth for his services.

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances for the club in their 2019/20 campaign, the £67k-per-week defender played a key role in helping his side avoid relegation, helping his team keep six clean sheets, scoring two goals and registering two assists, in addition to making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 0.5 tackles, 5.7 clearances and winning 3.2 duels per match.

These returns saw the defender average a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.88, ranking him as Dean Smith’s joint fourth-best performer in the top flight of English football.

However, it was over the centre-back’s 36 Premier League fixtures last season in which he truly came into his own, scoring two goals, providing two assists and helping his side keep a whopping 14 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 4.7 clearances and winning 4.1 duels per league game.

These metrics saw Mings earn a highly impressive average SofaScore match rating of 6.95, ranking him as Villa’s joint ninth-best player in the top flight, and earning the defender a call up to Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 squad.

As such, considering these impressive displays, as well as the fact the England international is now valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, it would indeed appear as if Lange struck gold when signing Mings back in 2019.

In other news: Insider drops claim on “outstanding” £50k-p/w beast, it’ll be music to AVFC fans’ ears