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West Ham were unable to build on their impressive performance against Liverpool two outings ago as they drew with Crystal Palace the following week. But against Fulham this Friday, they have the chance to get a much-need victory.

The Hammers, having spent just shy of £100m in the summer, surely had aspirations of breaking well into the top ten but are currently on the cusp of doing so, although a string of poor results could mean they plummet down the table as the clubs around them are on similar points.

Claudio Ranieri, meanwhile, has largely been unable to clean up the mess left by Slavisa Jokanovic when the Serbian boss was given the boot in November and the Cottagers find themselves second-bottom with just 17 points.

As far as opportunities to get back to winnings ways come, it doesn’t get much better for Manuel Pellegrini and West Ham. How, though, can they assure their poor run of results doesn’t extend to a seventh game and that they maximise this chance to return to top form? Football FanCast lay out three suggested solutions below…

Start either Samir Nasri or Manuel Lanzini

The thing so obviously missing from the Irons’ lacklustre showing at Selhurst Park last time out was an out-and-out playmaker to connect the dots and make things happen. Fortunately for Pellegrini, he has two such players set to make their respective comebacks from injury on Friday.

Nasri has impressed in the number 10 role since his switch to the London Stadium in January while Lanzini has long been a big fan-favourite – the latter hasn’t featured all season, though.

Pellegrini may be hasty to thrust Lanzini in particular, back into action but it’s a risk he must take if he wants to get the best out of Marko Arnautovic, who was starved of service after coming on against the Eagles.

Clog the middle

Declan Rice has been a revelation for the Hammers this season playing at the base of midfield and he will be essential once again if the Irons are to take all three points from Fulham.

The Cottagers hold the second-highest percentage in the league for attacks down the middle with 28%, so Pellegrini would be wise to make sure their ability to do so is limited on Friday. Instructing his players to tuck into the midfield will force Fulham to go out wide as the centre of the pitch will be far too congested.

Fulham will have to come up with different avenues of attack and, by the time they do, West Ham could be out of sight.

Play two up top

West Ham pretty much played with ten men against Palace – Javier Hernandez went completely missing and did nothing to trouble the Eagles defence apart from when he found space in the box early on, but miss-controlled the ball.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

The former Manchester United man is a quality finisher but starting him up front on his own, where he was deployed against Palace, doesn’t work. Felipe Anderson, meanwhile, thrives with a target man up front such as Arnautovic, and looked lost as to who to pass the ball to last time out.

Arnautovic, who started the season strongly but has recently fallen off amidst injury setbacks, is surely the man to get the best out of both Hernandez and Anderson going forward. Pellegrini needs a striker who he can be confident will score goals beyond 29-year-old Arnautovic and starting the two together could be the combination that ensures Hernandez hits a purple patch. A classic big man and little man partnership.

Eddie Howe has been handed a fresh Newcastle United injury lift over one of his first-team stars…

What’s the latest?

Callum Wilson has revealed that his season is far from over as he is hoping to be back out on the pitch for the Magpies before the end of the month.

He has been out of action since suffering a knock against Manchester United in December and is now seemingly closing in on his return to action.

The Daily Mail quote him as saying: “I aim to be back by the end of April or the beginning of May.”

SJP faithful will be delighted

This update from the striker will surely delight the fans as it means that they will be able to see him play for the club again in the coming weeks.

They would have to wait until July/August to see him in the flesh if he was ruled out for the rest of the current campaign and that would mean a seven/eight-month gap between his last game for the side and his next.

Instead, they will, hopefully, be able to watch him in the final few matches of the current campaign. Newcastle are currently 12 points clear of the bottom three and can head into the rest of their games without the pressure of a relegation battle, which means that it could be the perfect time to bring Wilson back into the fold.

They can now afford to give minutes to the forward as he recovers from injury and gets back up to speed as they are not in a desperate position where they need to be at their very best in every match to scramble themselves out of the bottom three. Howe can, therefore, experiment with his side in the coming weeks to find out more about his squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

For example, he could play Wilson up front alongside Chris Wood to see what their link-up is like. It will be interesting to see how they complement each other on the pitch, with the latter’s strong hold-up play potentially allowing the former to feed off flick-ons.

Wood has won a whopping 7.8 aerial battles per match and this shows that he has the ability in the air to provide a focal point at the top end of the pitch.

Meanwhile, Wilson has scored six goals in 14 Premier League starts and is the club’s top scorer, with the New Zealand international’s presence alongside him allowing him to focus more on getting into the box to finish off chances. His lethal nature in front of goal is why his return this season is a big boost that the fans will be buzzing with.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Dubravka: Newcastle’s £72k-p/w passenger went missing in LCFC win…

Nottingham Forest have reportedly reignited their interest in Blackpool winger Josh Bowler with the 23-year-old subject to Premier League interest too.

What’s the latest?

According to Football League World, the Reds are ready to make a fresh attempt to lure the Englishman away from Bloomfield Road after a failed attempt in January with Leicester, Burnley and Fulham also apparently interested.

The winger has scored seven goals in 40 Championship matches for Neil Critchley’s side this term who currently sit 16th in the second tier having won the League One playoffs last season.

Bowler was a summer addition for the Tangerines having been released by Everton after four years in the U23 set-up with a loan spell at Hull City in the 2019/20 season proving uneventful.

However, the 23-year-old only signed a one year contract last summer, although Blackpool will almost certainly take up the option in his contract to extend his stay by another year.

Forest should swoop for Bowler

There was always going to be some risk for Blackpool by taking on Bowler after a stagnant start to his career. However, the winger has been a revelation on the seaside.

With eight goals in all competitions, this season has seen the attacker make excellent progress hence the interest from Premier League clubs as well as Forest.

Steve Cooper has arguably the Championship’s best winger in Brennan Johnson who has netted 14 goals and registered seven assists in the second tier this term. Although, if the Reds fail to secure promotion it may be hard to keep him at the club.

If that is to be the case, then the East Midlands outfit should undoubtedly swoop to sign the wide man who has already shown that he has become accustomed to the Championship.

Moreover, the £810k-rated Englishman will be available for a bargain fee given his short-term contract.

Having started his career in the QPR youth ranks, Bowler was handed one first-team appearance for the Hoops under former manager Ian Holloway before making the move to Everton in 2017.

Speaking on Quest about the winger, Holloway said: “I gave him his debut as a young man at QPR, unfortunately he played half a game for me and then got sold.

“We got £1.5m for him and his mum and dad needed him to go but he’s only played 35 Championship starts in his career and he’s 23.

“I would pay to watch him myself.”

There’s certainly plenty of excitement surrounding Bowler which may prove to be an obstacle for Forest in their pursuit of the 23-year-old. However, it’s certainly a race worth participating in.

In other news: Imagine him & Johnson: Cooper can unearth a gem in NFFC’s “lovely” rarely-seen 21 y/o

Newcastle United have reportedly now sent a scout to watch centre-back Goncalo Inacio, and even made a bid for the player in January, according to reports in Portugal.

The Lowdown: Solid season

Inacio is having another solid season in Lisbon with Sporting CP, having won the title last campaign.

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His performances attracted praise from Portuguese media, and he was even nicknamed the ‘Portuguese boss’ despite only being 19 years of age at the time.

Now 20, Inacio has also been a second place in the Primeira Liga table, where they will be hoping to catch FC Porto in first.

The Latest: Official sent, bid revealed

As per A Bola (via Sport Witness), the St. James’ Park faithful sent an official to watch Inacio play in a 3-1 win at Tondela on Saturday, as he found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.

They apparently had a €30m (£24.9m) bid rejected by Sporting in the January transfer window, but the player does have a €45m (£37.4m) release clause.

The news outlet hints that the North East club must be ‘really interested’ in Inacio, as usually teams from the Premier League send their scouts over to Lisbon or Porto to watch players from the top flight, but the Tyneside outfit sent theirs to Tondela.

The Verdict: Get it done

The fact that Inacio has a release clause should encourage the Magpies to get a deal done.

Having had a £33m bid rejected by Lille for Sven Botman, added to talk of an increased £67m release clause for January target Diego Carlos, £37.4m may be the sweet spot for the Toon to sign a central defender in Inacio who may well have a higher ceiling at just 20 years of age.

Nonetheless, Sporting have a history of selling players to Premier League clubs for big money, and so this is a move that is very possible.

In other news, find out which ‘world-class’ ace NUFC have now held talks over signing for free here!

Wolves want to extend midfielder Joao Moutinho’s contract at the club beyond its expiry date this summer, according to reliable journalist Liam Keen.

The Lowdown: Moutinho out of contract

The 35-year-old has been a fantastic servant for Wanderers since joining from Monaco in 2018, making a total of 170 appearances for the club.

Moutinho is out of contract at the end of the season, however, and there have been doubts over whether or not he would extend his stay at Molineux.

Now, a hugely promising update has emerged, in that respect.

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The Latest: Huge news emerges

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Keen confirmed that Wolves wants to extend Moutinho’s time at the club, with the Portuguese also happy to stay put in the Premier League:

“Lage confirms that Wolves want to keep Moutinho and that he also wants to stay. Talks ongoing.”

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The Verdict: Get that deal signed

This is a massive boost for Wolves, with Moutinho’s experience and class in the middle of the park still vital, despite his advancing years. He averaged a 95.8% pass completion rate in the Carabao Cup this season, which speaks volumes about his class in possession.

With Ruben Neves potentially leaving Wanderers in the summer, it is doubly important that his compatriot remains at Molineux – losing both at the same time would feel like a hammer blow.

Moutinho may have to accept that he won’t play every week moving forward, given his age, but the idea of him signing a new deal feels significant for Bruno Lage and everyone associated with Wolves.

In other news, one player has been tipped to start for Wolves next season. Find out who it is here.

Writing for Hampshire Live, reliable journalist Tom Leach has claimed that Southampton are still keeping close tabs on Chelsea midfielder Tino Anjorin after he joined Huddersfield Town on loan.

The Lowdown: Saints in January talks…

As per reliable reports, the Saints entered transfer talks to sign Anjorin last month as the club, and by extension new owners Sport Republic, eyed yet another west London raid.

This comes amid their interest in signing loanee striker Armando Broja on a permanent deal and after they also completed moves for ex-Blues defender Tino Livramento and Dynel Simeu from Stamford Bridge last year (Evening Standard).

Now, in another update concerning their latest target from Chelsea, Leach has shared some news.

The Latest: Journalist shares Anjorin update…

According to the Hampshire Live reporter, Southampton remain interested in the 20-year-old and scouts will watch him ‘closely’ as he moves to Huddersfield on a six-month temporary deal.

This comes after Saints transfer chief and CEO Martin Semmens personally held a summit with Anjorin’s agent/father in the week leading up to deadline day.

The Verdict: Promising talent…

Depending on Anjorin’s performances at the The John Smith’s Stadium, it will be interesting to see whether Southampton and Semmens lodge another summer bid as they retain an interest.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has already lauded the former Lokomotiv Moscow loanee despite the fact he has only made four senior competitive appearances for his parent club.

Indeed, the ex-Paris-Saint Germain manager called him ‘confident’, ‘strong’ and ‘creative’ – leaving little wonder Semmens and co are keeping watch of his situation.

In other news: Southampton now also keen on ‘massive’ £15 million man as they join four-club queue, find out more here.

Alasdair Gold has dropped an update on the respective futures of Tottenham Hotspur midfielders Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso.

What’s the talk?

In a recent video posted on YouTube, the football.london journalist revealed that, with Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici planning an overhaul of the Tottenham squad this summer, the France and Argentina internationals are two players who look certain to be moved on at the end of the season.

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Regarding Spurs’ potential outgoing transfers this summer, Gold said: “Ndombele and Lo Celso have to be moved on. Whether it’s selling them or whether it’s loaning them again, those are two players who – you’d think – are not going to be at Tottenham next season.”

Time’s up

While it is true that both Ndombele and Lo Celso have enjoyed something of a renascence since their loan moves to Olympique Lyon and Villarreal respectively, it is undeniable that, considering the sheer amount of money Tottenham spent on their signings, both players have been failures in north London.

Following Ndombele’s £63m signing back in 2019, the 25-year-old struggled to live up to his hefty price tag, something which was all too evident from his performances in the first half of Tottenham’s Premier League campaign this season.

Indeed, over his nine Premier League appearances this term, the £31.5m-rated France international scored one goal, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as made an average of a mere 0.1 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 25.6 passes and won 3.6 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the £120k-per-week midfielder average a rather disastrous SofaScore match rating of a mere 6.58, ranking him as Tottenham’s third-worst player in the top flight.

Meanwhile, over Lo Celso’s own nine league outings this season, the £19.8m-rated Argentina international scored no goals, provided no assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as made an average of just 0.1 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 13.9 passes and won 2.7 duels per game.

These returns saw the £100k-per-week midfielder average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.72, ranking him as Conte’s sixth-worst performer in the Premier League.

And, while the 26-year-old has offered Tottenham slightly more than Ndombele in previous campaigns, it is nevertheless undeniable that Lo Celso has also failed to live up to his £55m transfer fee.

As such, while Tottenham are unlikely to recoup anywhere near their £118m outlay from the potential sales of the two players this summer, finally moving the duo on permanently would nevertheless appear an extremely wise move by Paratici – if for nothing else but to free up roughly £220k of Spurs’ weekly wage budget – as the pair’s time in north London is well and truly up.

AND in other news: Bid made: Paratici in talks for Spurs’ 1st summer signing, no one’s “identical to him”

Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise could be set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury, which was initially described as “inflammation in his left foot” by the French Football Federation – after he withdrew from the France U21 squad.

Journalist Rahman Osman has revealed that the London-born 20-year-old could be potentially out for six weeks if the tests done on him come back with negative news.

Osman tweeted: “Michael Olise had a scan in the City [London] today. He was accompanied by the Palace team doctor, there is a feeling that it’s a hamstring problem.

“Tomorrow the results will be out, if it’s a full blown hamstrings – that is six weeks and Wembley gone.

“Good news is that he walked without support and doesn’t feel it too much so fingers crossed for tomorrow.”

If Olise and Palace’s nightmare outcome from the situation is realised, he will not only miss a London derby in the Premier League against Arsenal after the international break, but he will also miss the club’s London derby FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, something that will undoubtedly leave the Eagles boss worried.

He may also miss league matches against, Leicester, Newcastle, Leeds, Southampton, and Watford, as the club looks to finish this season on as big a high as possible after an encouraging first campaign with manager Patrick Vieira in charge.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Vieira said about Olise: “What is important for Michael is that yes, at the moment he is playing well, but his focus and concentration has to be on Crystal Palace and how to work well in training and keep performing like he’s been doing in the last couple of games.”

After scoring two goals and adding five assists in 22 Premier League appearances, he has become an in-demand talent, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Lille and Bayern Munich all interested in him, according to the Sun.

Among wingers and attacking midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions over the last 365 days, he ranks in the top 5% for crosses per 90 (3.71), top 6% for progressive carries per 90 (9.82) and top 2% for assists per 90 (0.46).

Not only has he become one of the top young talents in the world, but also a key player for Palace, and they will certainly miss him.

In other news: Vieira set for huge howler as CPFC plot bid for “terrible” £91k-p/w dud who’s “so bad”

Nantes forward Moses Simon has revealed that he received a ‘strong offer’ from Leeds United in January.

The Lowdown: Quiet January

The Whites were fairly quiet during the winter transfer window, with young forward Mateo Joseph Fernandez the only player to arrive at the club.

Leeds did try to bring in RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson and made two bids for the American, but as we know, a move failed to materialise in the final weeks of the month.

Victor Orta and co reportedly made an approach to sign Simon in the final days of the transfer window, and the Nigeria forward, who has 61 goals in his club and international career, has now spoken out on Leeds’ interest.

The Latest: Simon comments on Leeds offer

Talking to CKD Media in his homeland, Simon confirmed that his agent informed him of Leeds’ offer, but his current employers wanted him to see out the remainder of the season.

The 26-year-old revealed:

“Yes, it is true, my agent told me about some offers among all is Leeds United who came calling with strong offer and well intention of sealing the deal immediately.

“My club want me to finish the season with FC Nantes and I really want to contribute my own quota to ensure we secure Europa League ticket at the end of the season, we are pushing hard for that.

“Already we are in the quarter finals of French Cup and presently we are among the top ten teams on the league table, hopefully Europa League will not be a bad achievement.”

The Verdict: Summer move?

Crysencio Summerville saw a loan move to Hamburg collapse earlier this week, and if he does seal a temporary move away from Elland Road in the summer, Simon could once again be a player of interest to Marcelo Bielsa and Orta.

Leeds were also linked with Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino and Chelsea’s Kenedy in the final days of the January window and were ready to act if Summerville left, so the youngster’s future could hinge on any summer wide attacking arrivals.

Simon can also play as a centre-forward when required and appears to be at the peak of his powers with a career-high Transfermarkt valuation of £8.1m, so the Nigerian appears to be a shrewd target for Leeds.

In other news: Two more Leeds injury boosts emerge at Thorp Arch during international break after Cooper and Phillips

Leeds United are the latest side to be linked with a move for Armando Broja…

What’s the word?

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who claim that as many as three new Premier League sides are eyeing up a move for the Chelsea striker this summer after an impressive campaign so far on loan to Southampton.

Alongside the Whites, Everton and Wolves have entered the race.

It remains to be seen what sort of fee the 20-year-old gem would command with CIES Football Observatory currently valuing him at €40m (£34m), and then there is the matter of whether or not the Blues will want to sell, even though he’s well down the pecking order behind the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.

Much-needed addition

Whilst this wouldn’t be a signing for the January transfer window, it is one that the Yorkshiremen desperately need to make heading into next season.

As we’ve seen throughout the year, manager Marcelo Bielsa has suffered from numerous injury problems which have affected key areas, like in attack.

For instance, he has been without Patrick Bamford and his goals for much of the season. The England international has missed 17 of their last 18 league games with three different issues. He has no backup, leaving the Argentine head coach rather short.

United should be safe from relegation but they cannot afford to go into next year with just one senior striker as deploying wingers like Daniel James and Jack Harrison up front just isn’t as effective as having another centre-forward.

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And Broja has proven that he can cut it with the best. He’ll find game time very hard to come by at Stamford Bridge, so a move to Elland Road could appeal.

As per Transfermarkt, the young Albanian international has found the net seven times across 21 appearances for the Saints in all competitions.

Speaking about his form this campaign, Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl waxed lyrical about his ability and threat in the final third.

“He’s a great threat. He didn’t have many poor games this season so today he showed again how dangerous he can be for the opponent and he’s very helpful for our game,” he told the BBC after a 4-1 win over Brentford earlier this month.

Indeed, at 6 foot 3, Broja is a bit of a target man-like presence in the penalty box and one that could very much operate in a similar role to Bamford at Leeds.

According to football scout Jacek Kulig his strengths are “finishing, instinct, power, athleticism, and heading,” whilst he’s won 2.7 aerial duels and averaged 1.1 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

Bielsa  – or whoever is in charge next season – badly needs another striker at the club and on the above evidence, Broja seems like an ideal candidate to target, should he be available.

AND in other news, Leeds eye “unbelievable” £20m dynamo in late transfer twist…