Category Uncategorized

Sky Sports presenter Joe Thomlinson has slammed David Moyes for the way he’s failing to get the best out of West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca.

The Lowdown: West Ham continue to struggle

The Hammers have been brought crashing back down to earth this season after back-to-back European finishes as they’re now engulfed in a relegation scrap.

West Ham currently sit above the relegation zone by goal difference with just 12 games left to play, with clashes against five of the current top six still to come, which will almost certainly have alarm bells ringing in and around the fanbase.

What will have left the West Ham faithful very annoyed is that when they were chasing three points on Sunday, Moyes opted against throwing on £35.5m striker Scamacca, despite the Hammers being desperate for a goal.

The Latest: Moyes unable to get the best out of Scamacca

It’s now the second big-money striker that has seemingly flopped under Moyes after Sebastien Haller – albeit brought to the club by Manuel Pellegrini – failed to impress at the London Stadium, which is something Thomlinson alluded to on the Football Daily YouTube channel.

He said: “When you add the context of £180m spent in the summer and big names arriving at the club ie Scamacca and Paqueta, it becomes problematic when Scamacca is an unused sub in a 1-1 draw [against] Villa where you need points because you’re in a relegation battle and Maxwel Cornet comes on up front ahead of you.

“I know Cornet was also a summer arrival, but I just think his usage of Scamacca is becoming extremely troublesome, and his quotes after the game here, saying ‘his physical data has got to be much better than it is’.

“That’s fine, but I remember a similar narrative developing with Seb Haller when he was there – that he didn’t do the runs into the channels that he wanted and we’ve seen what Seb Haller has been able to achieve subsequently to leaving West Ham and what he managed to at Ajax and [his] goalscoring rate.

“Just 11 starts in the Premier League for the Italian. That’s pretty underwhelming given that he was £35m, the big name coming in.

“Three goals. It’s just very, very underwhelming.”

The Verdict: Scamacca is yet to justify big price tag

It has certainly been a disastrous debut season in England for Scamacca, who tore up Serie A last campaign with 16 goals to his name, with his performances seeing West Ham fork out a huge amount of money for his services.

However, he just hasn’t been able to step up to the level of the Premier League, or perhaps Moyes hasn’t been able to get a tune out of the big Italian, as he can’t put up the physical data and numbers required.

If that’s the reason for Scamacca’s lack of form and starts in the Premier League, Moyes and the West Ham scouting team need to be looking at themselves if they didn’t see this potential flaw in Scamacca’s game displaying itself prior to paying so much money for him last summer.

Leeds United top scorer Rodrigo Moreno is hoping to be back in action prior to the international break.

The Lowdown: Top scorer

Rodrigo has been Leeds’ main man in front of goal this season and is the club’s top scorer with 12 goals – eight more than any other player.

However, the Spaniard has been out of action in recent weeks after suffering an ankle injury against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup. The 31-year-old has had surgery following bone and ligament damage, but it looks as if he is making good progress at Thorp Arch.

The Latest: Positive update

LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross shared a story in the last 48 hours after talking to Rodrigo regarding his injury.

The star striker said he is ‘feeling much, much better’ and is targeting a return before the international break after first being told he would more than likely need to wait until after the break before reaching full fitness.

The Verdict: Big boost

Rodrigo, hailed as a ‘class above’ by Pat Nevin, has really stepped up to the plate this season, so knowing that he could return quicker than expected will come as a big boost for new head coach Javi Gracia.

The Whites have struggled for goals without Rodrigo, with Wilfried Gnonto, Crysencio Summerville and Luis Sinisterra all scoring four goals each.

Patrick Bamford has netted three times and record signing Georginio Rutter is yet to get off the mark, so Rodrigo’s return will be welcomed by all at Elland Road. He has been the club’s second-best performer this season, as per WhoScored, so hopefully, he will pick up where he left off in front of goal in the final games of the campaign.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is facing the difficult task of replacing Bruno Guimaraes for the next three Premier League matches due to his suspension.

The Brazil international was shown a straight red card in the Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Southampton and will now be out of action for the next three games before being back available for the final at Wembley against Manchester United.

Bruno has been a standout performer for the Magpies throughout the season so far, averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.14 in the top-flight, which places him fifth in the squad and first for central midfielders.

The 25-year-old has chipped in with three goals and three assists from the middle of the park, and no other player in that position has managed more than two goals or two assists in the Premier League for Howe.

Joe Willock (6.86) and Sean Longstaff (6.74) have been solid performers in midfield but have not been performing near the incredible level of Bruno has since he arrived in England midway through the 2021/22 campaign.

Newcastle could find an alternative to the Brazilian talent by going into the transfer market at the end of the season, although that does not help them in the short-term, and one of their January targets could be the man for the job.

On deadline day, it was reported that the club were considering a deal to sign Sander Berge from Championship side Sheffield United, but the 24-year-old ended up remaining at Bramall Lane.

Howe must reignite Newcastle’s interest in the Norwegian midfielder heading into the summer, as he could be a dream Bruno alternative if he can make the step up to the Premier League.

In the Championship this season, the 32-cap Norway international has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.98 across 19 appearances and chipped in with four goals and three assists, whilst creating five ‘big chances’ for his team-mates.

The 24-year-old, who is also averaging 1.7 tackles and interceptions per match, has showcased his quality as a box-to-box midfielder, and his performances have led to team-mate Chris Basham dubbing him a “Rolls Royce”, which shows how highly his peers rate him. 

At the age of 24, Berge still has plenty of time left to develop and make the jump up to the Premier League to replicate, or even improve upon, the displays that he is putting in this season.

The midfielder, who played 29 top-flight matches for the Blades in his first two years in England, is a player who could make an immediate impact at St James’ Park whilst also holding the potential to grow and increase his value in the coming years.

Therefore, Berge could be a fantastic prospective signing for Newcastle as an alternative goalscoring and creative midfield option to Bruno and a gem in his own right, and Howe must pursue a summer deal for the Norwegian talent.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed an excellent January transfer window so far, bringing in players such as Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha, with Joao Gomes soon set to join them, whilst allowing Goncalo Guedes to leave on loan following an underwhelming first half of the season, scoring just twice in 18 games.

Julen Lopetegui might be keen on another one or two last-minute deals, especially with the Old Gold requiring at least one defender, and this could prompt the Spaniard into action yet again.

The right-back area has been a particular problem this season, with Nelson Semedo underperforming on a regular basis, and this may be a position that the manager looks to strengthen before the transfer deadline tomorrow night.

Wolves have been linked with Tottenham Hotspur right-back Djed Spence this month according to The Mirror (08/01, page 77; via Molineux News), and they may have a glimmer of hope when it comes to potentially securing a move for the young defender.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT regarding the 22-year-old, Dean Jones claimed that the Spurs ace simply has to secure a loan move away from north London before the deadline.

The transfer insider said: “I know that there are three or four other clubs that are interested in that. Djed Spence, almost certainly, has to move.”

Wolves could certainly bolster their squad by sealing a loan move for Spence, who would surely gain substantially more game-time with Lopetegui than he has done under Antonio Conte this term.

The 22-year-old has played a grand total of four matches in the Premier League this season (all as a late substitute), failing to climb the pecking order at Spurs, and the £25k-per-week gem needs a move to prevent his career from stagnating.

Dubbed a “Rolls-Royce” by Martin Keown for his performances in the Championship with Nottingham Forest last season, the right-back played an integral part in their promotion to the Premier League.

Across 42 appearances for Forest, he registered seven goal contributions during his loan spell while making one key pass per game, creating six big chances and taking 0.6 shots per match, underlining his attacking threat from a right-back role.

Compare this to Semedo’s statistics from last season and it’s clear that Spence could be a much better option for Lopetegui on the right of the Wolves defence. The 29-year-old Portugal full-back managed just one goal contribution in 25 appearances and created only one big chance, averaging 0.7 key passes per match.

Spence could be a cheap option on a loan deal who would do a solid job until the summer, when Lopetegui could comprehensively explore the market and bring in a long-term solution at right-back. With the Spurs player seemingly needing to secure a move, Wolves could swoop in with a late offer and end their transfer window with a bang in the process.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their efforts to bolster their squad during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope has claimed that the Magpies are “set to tempt Everton’s resolve with enquiry for Anthony Gordon” before the end of the month.

The accompanying article states that the winger is high on the club’s list of targets as they attempt to sign a ‘versatile’ attacking player to replace Chris Wood, who has joined Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season.

It claims that Gordon has fallen out of favour in recent weeks at Frank Lampard’s side and that Newcastle will now make an enquiry in the hope of snapping him up heading into the second half of the campaign.

Jacob Murphy 2.0

Newcastle could be running the risk of repeating their Jacob Murphy disaster by bringing the Toffees winger to St. James’ Park in the coming days.

The Magpies signed the current Toon forward from Norwich for £12m in the summer of 2017 after the gem had a breakout year at Carrow Road in the 2016/17 campaign.

He produced eight goals and eight assists in 37 Championship appearances for the Canaries and had yet to prove himself in the Premier League, with Newcastle taking a gamble on his potential.

The move has not worked out perfectly for Murphy as he has scored just six times, whilst assisting 10 goals, in 129 matches for the club in all competitions since moving to Tyneside.

Gordon, who was once dubbed “frightening” by non-league manager Luke Garrard, could be the next version of the ex-Yellows star as his worrying form this season follows on from his breakthrough campaign last term.

The England under-21 international caught the eye in the Premier League in 2021/22 with four goals and two assists in 25 starts for Everton – averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.89.

However, the gem’s form has dipped in 2022/23 as the forward has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.74 and chipped in with three goals and zero assists in 16 top-flight outings.

He has gone from creating 1.0 chances to 0.5 per game in the Premier League and these worrying statistics indicate that the attacker is struggling to live up to the standards that he set in 2021/22.

Therefore, Newcastle could repeat the mistake that they made with Murphy by signing Gordon before the winger is able to prove that he can make a big impact at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis.

Liverpool attacker Roberto Firmino has shared an update regarding his injury situation ahead of the Merseyside club’s upcoming Premier League game against Leicester City. 

The Lowdown: Firmino’s injury situation

The Brazilian was ruled out of Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup with a calf injury, and ultimately had to miss their recent 3-1 league win over Aston Villa.

Prior to that, the 31-year-old has scored nine goals and delivered four assists in 21 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season.

With the Reds set to take on the Foxes at Anfield tomorrow, Firmino has taken it upon himself to share an update on his fitness.

The Latest: Firmino’s update

Speaking to talkSPORT (via Liverpool Echo), Firmino had this to say about his fitness situation, revealing he expects to be back to face Brentford on January 2.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-35/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”] 

“I’m already healed, thank God. I’ll probably train tomorrow. Then all being well I’ll be ready not for the next game [Leicester] but the one after that [Brentford]. So all great.”

The Verdict: Good news for Liverpool

While it’s unfortunate that Firmino is likely to miss Friday’s clash against the Foxes, seeing him make a return for Liverpool’s next league outing after that against Brentford will surely be a big positive for the team.

With seven goals and three assists under his belt in 13 league appearances this season, the Brazilian also has the second-highest rate of goals per shot (0.21) at Liverpool, as well as the second-highest total of shots on target (20).

His overall league performances have earned Firmino a solid season rating of 7.2/10 from WhoScored, making him the second-highest rated player in Klopp’s ranks.

This shows just how much of an important attacking figure the 31-year-old is for Liverpool and why having him back fit again will be a big boost for the Reds, who will be hoping that they can get past Leicester without him in the team.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are believed to be eyeing a move for Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the New Year, with the Englishman currently facing an uncertain future at Old Trafford.

According to 90min, Julen Lopetegui’s side have ‘made a move’ to bring the 25-year-old to Molineux on loan in the January transfer window, with the full-back believed to be in line for an exit next month.

The report suggests that, despite rival interest from fellow Premier League clubs Crystal Palace, Leeds United and West Ham United, it is the Old Gold who are currently ‘leading the chase’ for Wan-Bissaka at present as Lopetegui looks to strengthen his right-back options.

90min added that a temporary move with the option of a permanent deal included could well be a possibility for Wolves, with the former Selhurst Park star – who was signed by United for £50m in 2019 – having featured only twice under Erik ten Hag this season.

Despite that lack of action, the Croydon-born “monster” – as lauded by journalist Aaron West – did show glimpses of his quality during the Red Devils’ win over Burnley in the Carabao Cup in midweek, having teed up Christian Eriksen with a brilliant sliding assist.

Although goal contributions have been hard to come by for the £90k-per-week defender – with only 13 to his name during his time at Old Trafford – Wan-Bissaka has typically offered plenty of quality defensively, having even been dubbed the “best one-on-one defender for a full-back in the world” by Jamie Carragher in 2020.

The hope would be that the former Eagles ace can get back to that level if he were to join Wolves, with the 6 foot titan having already shown some signs of life as he ranks in the top 1% in Europe’s major leagues for interceptions made and the top 3% for tackles made among those in his position in 2022.

Bringing Wan-Bissaka into the fold could see Wolves look to replicate a previous transfer masterclass, namely the signing of the now-retired Denis Irwin, with the reliable Irishman having joined the Old Gold from United back in the summer of 2002.

After a lengthy and glittering stint with the Manchester outfit – during which the 56-cap defender won seven Premier League titles – the versatile full-back was snapped up by Dave Jones in order to provide some quality and experience to the then-second tier outfit, in the hope of securing promotion to the top flight.

Despite being 36 at the time of his arrival at Molineux, Irwin quashed any doubts about his fitness and his hunger to succeed in the twilight of his career by proving instrumental in that promotion push, featuring in 48 games in all competitions in that 2002/03 season as Wolves made it into the Premier League for the first time.

The Cork native also started 32 top-flight games the following season before subsequently calling time on his illustrious career at the end of that campaign, with the “phenomenal” ace – as described by former team-mate Alex Rae – having certainly made his mark at Molineux during that two-year spell.

Just like Irwin was influential in clinching promotion to the top flight, Wan-Bissaka could well prove crucial for the current Wolves crop in avoiding a return to the second tier if he makes the same move that the Irishman did 20 years ago.

Nottingham Forest captured the attention of the English football community and media when they signed 22 new players ahead of their return to the Premier League this summer, and it is safe to say the newly-built team hasn’t delivered to the ambitious expectations set.

The Tricky Trees have spent the majority of their top-flight campaign so far in the relegation zone following a poor start that has seen them pick up just 13 points from a possible 45 so far.

Following a review of the recruitment drive in the summer transfer window, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis sacked both the club’s head of recruitment and head scout but it won’t be just the £150m spent on players that Marinakis will be regretful of.

Surprisingly, there were some targets missed by the powers at The City Ground during their rebuild of the Forest team with one player in particular who has been thriving ever since an offer from the club was rejected in the summer.

PSV Eindhoven and Netherlands star Cody Gakpo has been impressing at both club level and on the international stage during the World Cup and his success will be something that will be a hard watch for Marinakis.

The talented 23-year-old winger has been a stand-out performer for PSV over the season so far and considering his contributions in front of goal so far, would have been a hugely valuable asset to Forest in their pursuit to retain their Premier League status.

Over 14 Eredivisie appearances, Gakpo – who was hailed a “sensation” by Tom Allnutt – has scored nine goals, delivered 12 assists and created a whopping 12 big chances, as well as averaging 4.3 key passes, 1.9 successful dribbles, 3.6 shots at goal and 54.7 touches per game.

Not only that, the £35m Dutch international has been “on fire” and the linchpin in the Netherlands’ successful progression to the knock-out stages of the World Cup in Qatar, scoring three goals in three games and is currently joint-top goal-scorer in the prestigious tournament alongside Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Rashford and Enner Valencia.

Considering that Forest have scored the second joint-fewest amount of Premier League goals so far this season, it is safe to say that the signing of Gakpo would have been a much more worthwhile investment than Jesse Lingard who is currently collecting £200k per week at the club but has registered not a single league goal or assist over his 13 appearances so far.

With that being said, Gakpo has now become one of the most sought-after players in the world following his performances at the World Cup leaving little hope for Forest to reignite their interest in the winger and will likely now just remain a ‘what if?’ for Marinakis, Steve Cooper and the Forest supporters.

Jurgen Klopp must finally ditch Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after the player has featured just four times this season due to injury.

What’s the news?

According to Fabrizio Romano, the 29-year-old looks set to leave Anfield next summer, with the Italian transfer insider revealing in a recent post on Twitter:

“Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, expected to leave Liverpool in 2023 as a free agent. There are no talks to extend his contract as things stand. New midfielders will be the priority for Liverpool on the market next year.”

It looks like a double boost for the Anfield faithful, moving the Englishman on while also prioritising some new midfield arrivals.

Klopp must bin Oxlade-Chamberlain

Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 2017 for a fee of £35m. Although an expensive purchase, his reputation as one of most talented English midfielders at the time was enough for Klopp to splash the cash.

He had won three FA Cups at Arsenal while registering 52 goal contributions in 198 matches for the North London side.

Despite winning a raft of honours on Merseyside, including a Champions League title and Premier League crown, the 29-year-old hasn’t quite lived up to expectations.

The £125k-per-week midfielder has played over 30 league matches just twice in five full seasons at the club, with injuries disrupting his chances of gaining any sort of consistency.

Indeed, since joining in 2017, he has missed a staggering 90 matches due to a range of injuries and with his contract expiring next year, it’s time both parties moved on.

Atul Kasbekar dubbed the midfielder as “woeful” at the start of the year and with the player costing Liverpool a whopping £73m over the previous five years (£35m transfer fee plus £38m in total wages), it represents a colossal waste of money.

Aston Villa were linked with him during the summer transfer window and Klopp might be able to entice new manager Unai Emery into revisiting a move in January.

It would be shrewd business by the German if he manages to get any fee for Oxlade-Chamberlain, and this can free up wages for some new midfield additions the club urgently needs.

A positive injury update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara ahead of the club’s return to Premiership action on Sunday…

What’s the latest?

Light Blues manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that the Finland international is fit enough to feature in the match after playing 30 minutes in the Champions League on Tuesday night on his comeback from an injury.

Speaking to the club’s official Twitter account, he said:

“Glen [Kamara] is available for Sunday after getting minutes this week, Lundstram is back from his European suspension.”

The head coach has also confirmed that Charlie McCann will return to the squad and that Ben Davies could be in contention to play if he gets through the last training session on Saturday.

Big boost for Bronckhorst

Forget Lundstram’s return from suspension, the availability of Kamara for this clash could be a big boost for van Bronckhorst as the midfielder has the potential to be a key player in the middle of the park.

The former Arsenal man has endured a difficult start to the season as he has struggled with injury issues. He has only started twice in the Premiership, playing four times in total, and Sunday’s clash with St. Johnstone is now a chance for him to kickstart his campaign.

Kamara is a proven performer in the Scottish top-flight and someone the manager knows he can rely on to put in a good performance if he is fit and ready to play.

Last season, the 27-year-old averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.01 across 31 appearances in the league as he completed 91% of his attempted passes and won 54% of his individual duels, whilst chipping in with three goals and three assists.

These statistics show that he is reliable in possession and capable of making an impact at the top end of the pitch, whilst still holding his own in physical battles and not allowing the opposition to bully him on or off the ball.

Meanwhile, Lundstram averaged a score of 6.92 in 27 outings and in 2021/22 and has not registered a single Premiership assist in 39 games to date.

This suggests that Kamara could offer more than the former Sheffield United man in terms of creativity from the middle of the park, which could provide the likes of Ryan Kent and Antonio Colak with more opportunities to hurt the St. Johnstone defence.

Therefore, having the Finnish gem back is a big boost for the manager and one that he should take advantage of by starting the midfielder on Sunday.