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West Ham United have been dealt a potentially huge blow in their bid to bring Jesse Lingard to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed in a recent post on The West Ham Way that, despite having featured sparingly for Manchester United so far this season, the 29-year-old attacking midfielder – who has been heavily linked with a move to East London – would like to remain at Old Trafford until the end of the season, when his current contract expires.

In his post, the insider unveiled a big twist:

Moyes will be furious

Considering just how impressive Lingard was after joining West Ham on a four-month loan deal last season, in addition to the fact that the Hammers attempted to sign the forward in the summer transfer window, the news that the England international looks increasingly unlikely to leave Manchester United this winter is sure to have left David Moyes furious.

Indeed, over his 16 Premier League appearances for West Ham last time out, the £19.8m-rated man scored nine goals, registered five assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £75k-per-week attacking midfielder earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.19, ranking him as the Hammers’ best performer in the top flight of English football last time out.

However, despite his remarkable form at the London Stadium, Lingard has once again found his game time limited at Manchester United, featuring in just eight Premier League fixtures so far this season.

As such, the 29-year-old’s apparent decision to wait until the end of the season before making a decision on his future is a rather baffling one, as continuing to sit on the bench at Old Trafford will do nothing towards helping the forward secure a spot in Gareth Southgate World Cup squad for Qatar 2022.

However, with it appearing as if a move for Lingard is now off the table this January, Moyes has been left with no other option than to turn his focus in the transfer market elsewhere, an outcome that will undoubtedly be incredibly frustrating for the 58-year-old manager.

In other news: West Ham handed huge injury boost ahead of Tottenham clash that’ll have Moyes buzzing

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit and BBC Radio 5 Live regular Alan Hutton has been left thrilled by the news he’s seen out of Tottenham involving Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey.

The Lowdown: Spurs now eyeing Lamptey…

Sky Sports broke the news last week that Spurs are now eyeing a move for the youngster as one of the right-back candidates to replace Serge Aurier this summer, who is now being heavily linked with a north London exit.

The exciting 20-year-old started just 11 Premier League games for the Seagulls over 2020/21 but hugely impressed in his most of appearances, propelling him on to Spurs’ radar.

The Latest: Hutton thrilled by this news…

Reacting to this news which has come out of Tottenham, Hutton has been left thrilled and believes it is a potential signing which could actually excite supporters.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-2/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

“I think Brighton have got the best deal ever. What did they buy him for, £2-3million? We’re probably talking about a big figure here,” the Scottish pundit explained to Football Insider.

“I think he had an excellent start to the season. Yeah, he did drop off a little bit but that’s to be expected.

“Your first main season within the Premier League, especially for one so young, you’re going to have a little dip in form.

“I think that’s a move that the fans would be really excited about. He’s an exciting player and he’s going to get better as he gets more experienced.

“I think it’s one the fans would like.”

The Verdict: On the backburner…

While we agree that Lamptey is an exciting prospect, Tottenham should be prioritising the acquisition of at least one capable new centre-half, preferably two.

It has long been a problem position for Spurs and it may need reinforcing the most this summer, with chairman Daniel Levy not exactly having a king’s ransom in transfer funds. Tottenham need to adopt a sell-to-buy policy and any funds off a potential Aurier sale should go first and foremost towards signing a colossal centre-back.

In other news: Journalist says Spurs now after this ‘magical’ man as ‘official contacts’ begin, find out more here.

Newcastle United defender Federico Fernandez is attracting ‘strong interest’ from at least two European clubs, according to a report from The Northern Echo.

Fernandez has been allowed to talk to clubs since January, having entered the final six months of his contract at St James’ Park.

According to The Northern Echo, Bruce would like to keep hold of the centre-back but will likely struggle to persuade Mike Ashley to offer him a new contract. The Newcastle owner is said to be ‘notoriously reluctant’ to present new deals to players over 30, although Dwight Gayle may have bucked that trend.

The 32-year-old Argentine has made 21 appearances for the Magpies this season and 78 in total (via Transfermarkt).

Latest on Schar and Lejeune

Fabian Schar, who was sent off on his return from injury against Arsenal on Sunday, is thought to be more likely to stay.

Importantly, a clause in the Switzerland defender’s contract allows it to be extended for a further year if both parties agree. The Northern Echo stated that the club will look to strike that agreement before Schar heads to the European Championships with Switzerland.

Elsewhere, Florian Lejeune will be about to enter the final year of his term when he returns from his Alaves loan in the summer. Newcastle could put him up for sale to stave off the possibility of him leaving on a free transfer in 2022.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Fernandez is 32, so you can understand Ashley’s hesitancy in offering him a new contract, but might a two-year deal be in Newcastle’s interests?

If he were to walk away, they would then have to replace him, and that would further stretch what you’d think would be a limited budget after a year without crowds and reports of favouring frugality.

Fernandez has shown he can do a solid job, averaging 5.7 clearances and 1.4 tackles per game this season, and is clearly valued by the manager. Maybe the practical decision is to retain him, especially if he agrees to a decent reduction in his £47,300-per-week salary.

In other news, as one player potentially leaves Newcastle on a free, could another join?

West Ham United have been able to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League and seventh place in the Premier League table with just one figure in their squad that predominantly plays in the centre-forward position – Michail Antonio.

Despite scoring eight goals in 32 league appearances for the Hammers, the Jamaican hasn’t been able to find the net in the top flight since New Year’s Day against Crystal Palace.

With the next summer transfer window approaching, it seems as though the east London club are in the mix to add another striker to their squad and provide a bit of competition for Antonio.

What’s the news?

According to a recent article from Calciomercato, West Ham are one of the clubs interested in signing Torino striker Andrea Belotti in the upcoming summer transfer window.

With a total of 386 senior and youth club appearances under his belt, the Italian has scored 155 goals and provided 35 assists along the way, showing that he has a knack for finding the back of the net.

Better than Antonio?

Since joining his current club back in 2015, the 28-year-old has scored 110 goals in 247 outings for the Serie A side, showing just how important he has been for them over the past few years.

On the international stage, Belotti has scored 12 goals in 42 senior appearances for Italy.

This backs up what his former teammate and former West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart had to say about him when the Englishman described the attacker as having an “instinct for goals.”

With just 18 league games to his name in this current Serie A season, the striker has still managed to rack up the second-highest number of shots at goal (45) out of anyone at Torino.

To compare him to the West Ham striker, the Italian has racked up a higher percentage of aerial duels won this season (39.7%) than Antonio (36.2%).

This shows how much of a threat in the air he can be in terms of winning balls and scoring goals with his head. Battling physically for the ball is one of the West Ham striker’s main strengths so if Belotti can top him in that department, it bodes well for the Hammers.

Despite having a current market value of £25.2m according to Transfermarkt, the Irons could secure the Italy international on a free transfer this summer as his current contract with Torino is set to expire at the end of the season.

Even though he’s struggled with some injury issues this season, Belotti certainly has what it takes to be a solid signing for West Ham. The major plus side is that West Ham could discover someone that’s better than Antonio when it comes to scoring goals on a regular basis.

In other news: Sources: West Ham eye swoop for “brilliant” 21 y/o, he’s “similar to Eden Hazard”

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to Diogo Jota’s brace for Portugal, as the Anfield star’s stock continues to rise.

The 24-year-old joined the Reds from Wolves last summer and immediately hit the ground running, scoring a debut Anfield goal against Arsenal, as well as bagging the winning goals at home to Sheffield United and West Ham in October.

The forward was proving to be an excellent addition to Liverpool’s attack, but unfortunately a knee injury picked up in December kept him out for several months.

Jota returned recently in a huge boost for Jurgen Klopp and he netted the only goal away to former club Wolves, meaning he now has 10 goals in 21 appearances for the Reds.

The Liverpool star has also become a key man for Portugal and he proved that on Saturday evening, scoring both of his country’s goals in their 2-2 draw with Serbia.

Jota powered home two headers to showcase his ruthlessness in the final third, taking his international tally to five goals in just nine caps.

Liverpool fans hail Jota

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to heap praise on the Reds hero after his “unreal” performance in the World Cup qualifiers.

“Five goals in his first nine games for Portugal. Some player”

Credit: @JackSear

“DioGOAT”

Credit: @LFCTransferRoom

“Diogoal at it again I see”

Credit: @dan_clubbe

“Diogo Jota rediscovering his goalscoring form just in time for the business end of the Champions League. Is rightttttt”

Credit: @BenWebbLFC

“Diogo Jota is unreal btw”

Credit: @TheAnfieldWrap

“Jota is set to be a great for us. Has everything to his game. No doubt he can bag like 25 next season if he stays fit. Incredible player”

Credit: @lfcxcathal

In other news, one Liverpool star has suffered a potential setback ahead of the Euro 2020 – find out who it is here.

Last season, Wolves sometimes had to often operate with four defenders instead of three and two wing-backs with Romain Saiss and Willy Boly picking up niggling injuries throughout the campaign, and former striker Steve Bull would like to see new signing Yerson Mosquera start at the back going forward.

Wolves conceded 52 goals during a turbulent campaign at Molineux and that was the most they had let in since returning to the Premier League, with their two previous campaigns, when they had a consistent defence, seeing them concede just 40 and 46 goals respectively.

Bruno Lage looked to address this obvious problem immediately with the signing of 20-year-old centre back Mosquera, who arrived for just £4.5 million, but considering his age and lack of first-team experience, it remains to be seen whether or not Lage will throw him in at the deep end for their opening game of the season against Leicester in August.

Mosquera would bring a fresh pair of eyes to a defence that has been the exact same since their Championship-winning season and with Lage likely to play 4-4-2, that leaves one less spot for the centre backs to fight for, and Bull would love to see Mosquera start next season as he exclusively told Football FanCast:

“He’s a young boy who is about six foot one, so I’d like to see him in there with Coady and Boly, and to give Saiss a run for his money, but he might be one for the future.”

Wolves became very much accustomed to playing with three at the back and having that extra bit of protection under Nuno Espirito Santo, but Lage appears to prefer a more attacking and expansive style of football with his 4-4-2 system and high pressing forwards and central midfielders.

Success will be difficult to judge this season at Molineux as they may well go through another transitional period with a new manager coming in with new ideas and wanting different types of players.

Fulham have agreed terms with Marco Silva regarding the vacant managerial position at Craven Cottage.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that the 43-year-old has provisionally agreed a deal to become Scott Parker’s successor at the west London club.

Parker left the Cottagers on Monday after he and Shahid Khan came to a resolution regarding the 40-year-old’s compensation fee, with the outgoing manager subsequently being appointed the new manager of Championship side AFC Bournemouth.

And, despite being heavily linked with a move for the Swansea City manager Steve Cooper, it would now appear as if Silva will be the man leading Fulham out on the opening day of the season.

Fans should be furious

While Silva does have a history in the English game, having managed the likes of Hull City, Watford and Everton in his relatively short career in football management, there are a great many question marks regarding the Portuguese’s credentials for taking over at a Championship side.

During his spell at Hull back in 2016/17, Silva impressed during his 18 Premier League games in charge of the club, winning six, drawing three and losing nine fixtures, picking up 21 points along the way.

However, this was ultimately not enough to keep the Tigers in the top flight, with the club finishing the season in 18th place in the Premier League standings.

The 43-year-old was then awarded the Watford job the following season, going on to win seven, draw five and lose 12 of his 24 Premier League fixtures in charge of the club, before the Hornets parted company with Silva following a run of just one win in 11 games.

The former Sporting CP head coach continued what was now becoming a trend of failing upwards in 2018/19, landing the Everton job after Sam Allardyce’s departure at the end of the previous campaign.

His spell at Goodison Park proved to be his longest at a club in England, winning 15, drawing nine and losing 14 of his 38 Premier League fixtures in his first full season with the Toffees, enough to finish eighth in the Premier League table.

However, Silva once again found himself out of a job 15 games into the 2019/20 campaign, having picked up just 14 points in the league, with Everton languishing down in 18th place at the time of his dismissal.

As such, considering the sheer magnitude of the task at hand at Fulham next season, with the club very much expecting an immediate return to the top flight of English football, appointing a manager with no experience in the division, as well as what is quite a shaky record in the Premier League, would certainly not appear to bring with it any guarantees of promotion.

And, with a young, exciting and Championship-proven manager such as Steve Cooper clearly being interested in the job, should Khan indeed opt for Silva over the 41-year-old this summer, fans would be well within their rights to be furious with their owner’s decision.

In other news: Smyth drops transfer update on “immense” £9m-rated gem, Fulham fans should be buzzing

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.

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. 

Kristjaan Speakman has shed further light on his transfer strategy at Sunderland this summer.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with the SAFC Unfiltered podcast (cited by the Sunderland Echo), the Sunderland sporting director suggested that a major part of his plan for the recently closed transfer window was to reduce the average age of Lee Johnson’s first-team squad, as well as signing quality over quality.

In his comments, Speakman said: “We did let a group of players go which was potentially risky but we felt that to change the philosophy, the dynamic of the squad and average age that would have to be done.

“The average age this year is 24.8. I think last year it was just over 28. We had some games where we were just short of 29. If you look at that it’s a huge difference [in] what the squad dynamic looks like.”

The sporting director continued: “We had a really clear idea about who we wanted to go for and we wanted to go for a smaller streamline squad of quality over quantity. When you do that you have to be really precise with those signings because you have less room for error.”

Music to the ears of fans

Considering the fact that Sunderland’s decline from the Premier League to the third tier of English football was largely down to disastrous recruitment, horrible mismanagement and chaos in the boardroom – all of which contributed to poor results achieved on the pitch – Speakman’s latest remarks are sure to come as music to the ears of the Stadium of Light faithful.

Finally, it would seem as if there is a clear transfer plan and philosophy at Sunderland – something that would already appear to be bearing fruit, with the Mackems currently topping the League One table after five games played.

As such, it very much seems as if, under the guidance of Speakman in the transfer market and Lee Johnson on the pitch, things are finally looking up on Wearside, something that has been an incredibly long time coming.

And, if the Black Cats can go on to achieve promotion come next May, Sunderland fans will undoubtedly be forever grateful to Speakman for being the man who finally helped get their club back on track.

In other news: Sunderland handed potential injury boost ahead of Accy clash, Johnson will be buzzing