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West Bromwich Albion have run into a last minute delay in their prospective appointment of Barnsley manager Valerien Ismael over the structure of his compensation payment [Football Insider].

With pre-season fast approaching at the Hawthorns, the Baggies seem all but set to put an end to relentless managerial speculation by appointing the 45-year-old.

Needing fresh impetus in order to mount a sustainable promotion bid, who better to turn to than the man who overachieved at Barnsley by unbelievably guiding them to the Sky Bet Championship play-offs against all odds [Barnsley Chronicle].

However there may be a slight snag in negotiation proceedings. Rumoured to cost a fee of around £2 million to break from his contract, Barnsley would like the money up front in order to allow Ismael to leave Oakwell [Football Insider].

Conversely, West Brom are said to be keen on paying in instalments, creating a wrangle that may require some further discussions between the clubs [Football Insider]

As you can imagine, loads of Baggies diehards took to Twitter to vent their frustration at these latest developments.

Baggies fans react:

Replying to popular West Brom fan outlet WBA Report, here is how some fans summarized their feelings regarding this Ismael development:

“Wagner part 2”

Credit: @MattMannion4″We want it in used tenners, no consecutive numbers, dropped off under the toilet door in the Taco Bell Barnsley.”Credit: @neilmeynell”Of course there is it’s Albion”Credit: @FoulkesJustin”Scraping round for air miles”Credit: @BaggiesTotal”What a shock”Credit @JonnyDrury7″Makes me laugh when people say “Just pay the money” Same as when we chase a player. We value at £5M… selling club want £8M… Baggies fans shout “Pay the money…. ” We are never going to be like that. Unlike many football clubs, we don’t just throw money at it. Get used to it.”Credit: @KeirFrench”Cash flow that bad at Albion?”Credit: @MarkAbel_28In other news, WBA fans react to a significant off-field development.

Barcelona are thought to be considering a move for Crystal Palace left-back Patrick van Aanholt.

And, as to be expected, a number of Palace fans have been sharing their thoughts at the links on social media.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Catalan giants are plotting a Bosman move for the Dutch defender.

Van Aanholt is just one of a number of Palace players who are out of contract at Selhurst Park this summer.

The 30-year-old has been with the Eagles since 2017 and has made over 130 appearances for the club. 22 of those came this season, but van Aanholt finished the season as second-choice behind youngster Tyrick Mitchell.

Barcelona have also been linked with Manchester City’s Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero on Bosman deals, and it seems as van Aanholt could join the pair in moving to the Nou Camp for nothing.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared the transfer link on social media. This is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply, with one describing the defender as ‘terrible’ in his final matches as an Eagles player.

“Sorry?”Credit: @BMCPFC”Good luck to him. I was always a fan but have to admit the last few games he played were terrible”Credit: @3dromLimited”Barca have no money to spend and this proves it.”Credit: @alffy1977″What have they been smoking hahahahaha”Credit: @CiaranCPFC”Messi coming the other way I’ve heard”Credit: @CPFCLouie”Hope so”Credit: @xmeganrichards”Gotta respect this guys agent”Credit: @s_cpfc

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to the latest on Wilfried Zaha, find out more here. 

Arsenal could turn their attentions to a new target after suffering a devastating blow in their bid to sign Emiliano Buendia this week…

What’s the word?

The Gunners have lost the race to clinch the Norwich City playmaker after he opted to join Premier League rivals Aston Villa in an initial £33m deal but the North London outfit reportedly have a fresh name in mind.

According to CBS Sports journalist James Benge, AC Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is on their shortlist, he tweeted:

“Another target who Arsenal are understood to have broached internally is Hakan Calhanoglu, out of contract with AC Milan this summer. He is an option, not clear how high on the list he might be but [the] expectation is he’s an alternative to Odegaard.”

Forget about Buendia

The 27-year-old, who is rated at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, is an intriguing solution to Mikel Arteta’s attacking midfield woes, not at least because he won’t cost Stan Kroenke and KSE a single penny in terms of a transfer fee.

And that could be important if Arsenal are to bolster the playing squad right across the pitch as we’re yet to see what sort of damage their failure to qualify for Europe will do to their finances.

Thus, signing a quality player on a free makes the world of sense to do right now, especially as he appears to fit a lot of criteria that Arteta is currently lacking.

Martin Odegaard was always going to be a short-term option, as much as the club want to keep hold of him, whilst Mesut Ozil was on a rapid decline prior to his long-awaited departure.

Calhanoglu has emerged as one of Milan’s star performers after registering nine goals and 12 assists across 43 appearances in all competitions this season, via Transfermarkt.

But perhaps more interestingly, his ability to progressively move the ball forward is what makes him most appealing.

The Gunners ranked 12th in the league for average number of shots per game (12.1) whilst they scored the second-fewest number of goals from set-pieces (six), as per WhoScored.

Calhanoglu averaged 7.92 progressive carries per 90 minutes (FBRef) and created a whopping 50 chances from dead-ball situations alone with a further 48 taking him to a total of 98 for the season (WhoScored).

By comparison, Bukayo Saka was Arteta’s most creative influence with 36 key chances created – some margin off the 56-cap Turkey international.

It’s no wonder the 27-year-old’s head coach Stefan Pioli has waxed lyrical about his talents, he told reporters (via MilanNews.it):

“Calhanoglu is a leader of this team. He’s a leader on the pitch, he’s an intelligent player. Lately, we have faced teams that have closed the spaces and therefore, sometimes, I have had to lower him even though I want to keep him high.

“He knows how to marry perfectly with the game of his teammates. I have great respect for him and with intelligent players, you can play great games. He has the qualities to have some more goals.”

Also lauded as “generous and exceptional,” it’s evident that Calhanoglu would be a massive upgrade to Arsenal’s attacking midfield department and even though they missed out on Buendia, Edu Gaspar and co can alleviate the pain by landing the 5 foot 10 wizard for nothing.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Xhaka: Edu must seal Arsenal swoop for “unbelievable” £36m-rated “pure talent”…

Daniel Farke’s Norwich City are interested in a summer move for Mehdi Zerkane.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by La Gazette du Fennec, who claimed that both the Canaries and Aston Villa are keeping a close eye on the Bordeaux winger ahead of the summer transfer window.

The report added that, while the 21-year-old would like to stay in Ligue 1 for a further year to continue his development, Les Girondins could be tempted into parting with the £1.8m-rated youngster if a significant offer is made due to their troublesome financial state.

Mahrez 2.0

With Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber having an extraordinary amount of success in recent seasons with signing lesser-known and under-appreciated talents, such as Emi Buendia’s £1.35m signing from Getafe and Teemu Pukki’s arrival from Brondby on a free transfer, Zerkane could well fit the bill for the sporting director once again this summer.

The winger, who is a product of the youth setup at AS Monaco, has yet to truly burst onto the scene at Bordeaux, having featured just 27 times for the Ligue 1 side, scoring one goal and registering one assist. However, it seems that a number of clubs believe the 21-year-old possesses a considerable amount of talent, with Marseille, Lyon, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid all attempting to sign Zerkane upon his departure from Monaco.

Indeed, there are obvious comparisons which can be drawn between Zerkane and Riyad Mahrez, with both players being left-footed right-wingers who like to cut inside, both being Algeria internationals and both starting their footballing careers in France.

As such, with Bordeaux reportedly open to offers for the highly-rated youngster this summer, it would seem a highly advisable move for Webber to pursue a deal for the 21-year-old. If he goes on to fulfil the potential that a number of Europe’s biggest clubs clearly believe he possesses, Norwich could indeed have the next Mahrez on their hands ahead of next season.

In other news: Forget Skipp: Webber must seal Norwich deal for “fantastic” £6.3m-rated star – opinion

Everton are reportedly fighting Liverpool to sign Gleison Bremer once the summer transfer window opens.

The Lowdown: Holgate may leave

The Goodison Park faithful are reportedly willing to listen to any offers for Mason Holgate in the summer, as they look to try and fund a move for a top central defender.

The Englishman has disappointed with some of his recent displays, making costly errors against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, and so his future at the Merseyside club is unclear.

The Latest: Everton fight Liverpool for Bremer

As per Torino Granata, the Toffees as well as Liverpool have been following Bremer, who has been named as a potential outgoing for Torino.

Given the long-term injuries to both Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez that the Reds have suffered this season, it is no surprise to see them also linked with bringing in a centre-back.

The Verdict: Everton can get one over on Liverpool

The Blues can certainly get one over their local rivals by beating them to the signature of Bremer.

At six-foot-two, the Brazilian is a colossus and so would give EFC an advantage in both boxes, notably scoring as many as four goals from the heart of defence in 32 games in total in the Serie A so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

At the back, Bremer has won no fewer than 5.2 duels per match in the Italian top flight, and has also averaged 4.1 clearances, 2.1 interceptions and 1.5 tackles a game, keeping eight clean sheets in the process (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, if Holgate were to go, the 24-year-old would be a more than adequate replacement.

In other news, find out what European Super League update has got Toffees talking here!

Reports by Marca over the weekend claimed that Real Madrid plan to offer Luka Jovic out to potential suitors for a summer sale, and David Moyes should see that West Ham United are in the mix for the Serbian’s signature.

The Irons had shown an interest in Jovic’s availability for the winter market as they lined up possible replacements for Sebastien Haller, with Defensa Central noting in November that he could increase the quality available.

The London Stadium natives were again linked the day after Haller sealed a £20m move to AFC Ajax, with Caught Offside reporting that West Ham had approached Real Madrid to sound out their chances of acquiring Jovic.

West Ham ultimately failed to seal a deal for the 23-year-old Los Blancos spent £52.5m to sign in 2019, and he would instead secure a return to Eintracht Frankfurt to see out the rest of the season under the coach in Adi Hutter he scored 27 goals in 48 games in 2018/19.

Jovic had failed to make the grade in the Spanish capital during his 19-months under Zinedine Zidane with just two goals in 32 games, but has already achieved double that tally in 14 appearances back with Die Adler.

He is now expected to be made available for a permanent move away from the Santiago Bernabeu once the £18m-rated forward returns to Madrid, as Los Blancos make efforts to raise funds for necessary summer reinforcements.

The La Liga giants are refusing to rest on their laurels despite a 35th Spanish top-flight title and 14th Champions League crown still being achievable, and will need to make room for players like Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to arrive.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-west-ham-news%2c-views-and-gossip” title=”Latest West Ham news, views and gossip!”]

Real Madrid are expected to clear space both physically and financially by parting with a number of options in Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Isco, Alvaro Odriozola, Mariano Diaz and Jovic, while Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vazquez are out of contract at the end of the season.

If Jovic does prove to be available for a move away from Spain this summer, Moyes should urge West Ham to revive their interest given his continued need for attacking depth after opting against replacing Haller in the winter market.

Jovic is a widely lauded forward despite his struggles in Madrid and is considered to be “just unbelievable” by Eintracht Frankfurt teammate Filip Kostic, with whom he combined for five of his 17 Bundesliga goals in 2018/19 for the joint-best partnership in the division.

He may not have yet rediscovered the same prolific touch in front of the net that saw him become a Galactico, but Jovic’s instant impact back in Germany with a brace on his second debut against FC Schalke 04 offered the foundations for him to help Frankfurt claim 30 of a possible 42 points – only Bayern Munich (35) have taken more since January 16.

Eintracht Sporting Director Fredi Bobic also acknowledges that Jovic was re-signed when not 100 per cent match fit, but Hutter still believes “he is on the right track” and is satisfied with his overall contributions to the team.

Moyes now playing on Jovic’s uncertain future at Real Madrid to add depth to West Ham’s attack could see the Irons boss add a player who is still young and on the way back to his best, then, and one even likened to Sergio Aguero by AS Monaco boss Niko Kovac for “his technique and instinct”.

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

Manchester City travel to Le Parc des Princes on Wednesday night to face PSG in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final and Pep Guardiola should axe Raheem Sterling from his starting lineup.

Whilst the England international’s performance against Tottenham Hotspur in the 1-0 Carabao Cup final win on Sunday was a vast improvement on some of his recent displays, he still looked too desperate to score a goal and he was guilty of snatching at chances.

The 26-year-old has now failed to score in any of his last 10 appearances for the Citizens so will be desperate for a goal on Wednesday evening, which may prove detrimental to City’s chances of earning a positive result.

The last thing City want is a repeat of last season’s Champions League quarter-final against Olympique Lyon, where they dominated proceedings and missed a number of chances to take the lead after Kevin De Bruyne’s equaliser in the second half.

They were punished, with Moussa Dembele making it 2-1 with less than 15 minutes remaining, before Sterling was presented with a golden opportunity to equalise in the 86th minute but somehow contrived to put the ball over the bar when faced with an open goal.

This proved to be the vital moment of the game as Lyon pushed up the other end and made it 3-1 to seal their place in the Champions League semi-final.

There is no doubt that Sterling is a superb footballer when he is at his best, with Guardiola describing him as “remarkable” earlier in the season, but the reality is that all of Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva have comfortably outperformed him in recent weeks, so he doesn’t really deserve to start ahead of any of those players.

His worrying record of missing big chances could certainly come back to bite City on a night where they will definitely be looking to score an away goal.

It may be ruthless to drop him after the cup final, but Guardiola should axe Sterling from his starting line-up and leave him on the bench.

And, in other news… Txiki must avoid transfer disaster over 26-goal “winner”, Pep would be fuming

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has warned his old side of the consequences that would come with selling star man Jack Grealish.

Grealish is currently being linked with a move to Manchester City, and Hendrie believes any potential sale would send the wrong message to summer targets, possibly detracting them from the club.

The 25-year-old attacking midfielder has been in scintillating form this season, scoring six goals and providing 10 assists in the current Premier League campaign. Furthermore, it is no surprise that a team like Manchester City are interested in his services.

On the potential ramifications of selling Grealish in the next transfer window, Hendrie told FFC:

“Grealish, you know, I’ve got to sit on the fence with. I don’t know whether he’ll stay, but if you’re keeping players like that, you’re attracting bigger players. If you’re selling Jack Grealish, you’re not going to get the players you want in through the door.”

Without a doubt, selling Grealish this summer really could be detrimental to Villa after a season where they have made an incredible amount of progress. Dean Smith’s men are in contention for European football next term and currently have the third-best defensive record in the Premier League.

Losing their best player could set them back while giving them an image of being a selling club, an image that may put off any ambitious transfer targets the Villans have for the next window.

Southampton fans were far from happy with the performance of Jan Bednarek during their defeat on Monday in the Premier League.

Saints were soundly beaten 3-0 by West Bromwich Albion away from home in a display that will not have pleased manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. Goals from Matheus Pereira, Matt Phillips and Callum Robinson put the St. Mary’s outfit to the sword, and they now have plenty of work to do this week ahead of their F.A Cup semi-final clash with Leicester City.

The showing from Bednarek was one of the reasons why Southampton were so soundly defeated. Him and his partner in the centre of defence, Jannik Vestergaard, struggled to keep their opponents at bay, and the Poland international often looked flustered as he attempted to show defensive solidity.

The Southampton fans were far from happy with what they saw, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

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

“Tella, Minamino… possibly even Salisu for Bednarek. The stats cover up some dreadful performances”

Credit: @salterjack

“Has Bednarek’s woeful run for the last 3 months surely earns Salisu a start ahead of him?”

Credit: @mattjamesy

“Bednarek is having a mare atm, I’d stick Salisu in. Moussa or Tella could be “options” too. I’d be tempted to start Moussa for Redmond next week after this performance”

Credit: @cj_garrett

“Bednarek has been shambolic recently, we aren’t incisive enough when we attack and we lack quality in areas like left back. It’s a miracle we did as well as we did between lockdown and January”

Credit: @sfcmaxx

“Defensively we’ve been a shambles for months now. Bednarek needs dropping most of all and Salisu in for him. Need better protection from midfield. Jwp and diallo don’t seem to compliment each other.”

Credit: @gregvul

“Worth bringing on before the games gone, no? Or at least take Bednarek off when he’s having a 0/10 performance? Or Walcott who was having a similar showing? This isn’t even my biggest criticism of him, it’s fairly small compared to 2 win in 15 or whatever it is”

Credit: @fletchsfc

In other news, Southampton fans rage at these Hasenhuttl comments.

Leeds United have been handed a major injury boost ahead of their Premier League clash against Fulham on Friday night, with news that Patrick Bamford is likely to be fit.

The striker was forced off in Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s last game against Chelsea at Elland Road, and there no doubt would have been some serious concern about whether he would be fit to face the Cottagers.

Bamford has played an integral role in Leeds’ impressive return to the Premier League this season, bagging 13 goals and providing a further six assists in the top-flight alone – in fact, he’s played the full 90 minutes in all but six of the Whites’ games this campaign in the league, and has started every single one.

Ahead of the game tonight, The Athletic’s Phil Hay delivered a crucial update on Bamford’s fitness, saying that the forward looks like he should be available, and that despite a knock to his hip, stands a “good chance of recovering”.

The £16.2m-rated man has earned some rave reviews this season for his performances, not least from former Premier League ace Gabriel Agbonlahor, who lauded his display against Leicester just last month.

He said: “What’s surprised me is how good his finishing is. He’s never going to get that ball and dribble past players but what he does have is a great finish on him.

“He showed with his goal at the weekend how clinical he can be. His link-up play as well. Yes, I’ve been surprised but credit to him.”

Bamford’s availability for tonight will come as a major relief for Bielsa, and will have the Leeds boss absolutely buzzing that he can continue to rely upon on his main man up top.

Meanwhile, Leeds must start this “rock” tonight…