All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Ham United manager David Moyes must finally axe a defender who’s been causing him “problems” in Vladimir Coufal.

He’s already cost them too much, and could contribute to them missing out on a Europa League place if they lose against Brighton and Hove Albion on the final day of the Premier League season.

On the Chalkboard

There is a lot on the line for both sides who face off at the AMEX Stadium this afternoon. The Hammers will be targeting a sixth-place finish and to achieve that will have to win and hope Manchester United drop points. Meanwhile, the hosts could confirm their first-ever top-half Premier League finish depending on how results go elsewhere.

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If West Ham are to secure victory then axing right-back Coufal will help them. The 29-year-old joined the club in 2020 from Slavia Prague for £5m. He has been a solid player at times but isn’t the long term solution and if the club want to keep growing and push for the Champions League places next season they need someone better.

Last week saw the farewell of club captain Mark Noble and an impressive 2-2 draw against Manchester City that has had a huge effect on the title race. However, that result could have been a victory if it wasn’t for an own goal scored by Coufal.

It would have given the club a much better chance at securing a Europa League place. It also meant that the Czech Republic international now has more own goals for The Hammers than he does goals.

Moyes can’t risk starting the £27k-per-week full back again and should start the more promising option of Ben Johnson. The 22-year-old Englishman has made 19 league appearances for the club this season so isn’t short of experience. He also has a goal to his name which proves he can be more of a threat going forward.

Coufal’s contract at The London Stadium expires next summer, at which point he will be almost 31, so it wouldn’t make sense for West Ham to keep him for any longer than that.

They could potentially sell him this summer and try and recoup some of what they bought him for, he’s rated at £10.8m according to Transfermarkt.

IN other news: “It’s my understanding…”: Ex drops big WHU summer update, supporters will be buzzing…

Wolves could ‘definitely’ look to make a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the summer transfer window, according to journalist Josh Holland.

The Lowdown: Toney shines in Premier League

There were question marks over whether or not the Bees hero could take his Championship form with him to the Premier League this season, but he has proved any such doubters wrong.

Toney has scored 12 goals in 31 top-flight starts, helping his team to comfortably pull away from any relegation trouble in the process.

The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to Wolves in recent weeks and it looks set to be a potential transfer saga which rolls on this summer.

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The Latest: Wolves backed to revive Toney interest

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Holland claimed that Toney is somebody that Wolves will ‘definitely’ have an eye on during the summer transfer window. The journalist stated:

“I think Ivan Toney, yeah, definitely. He was one who started so well, he went a bit quiet, but now recently, he’s not scoring as many goals as you’d like, but his link-up play is like a shadow of what Raul Jimenez used to do before his injury.

“And as much as we all were delighted to see Raul back, and he got on the goals, I don’t really think he’s being cautious, but you can tell he’s not the same player.”

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The Verdict: Perfect Jimenez replacement

Toney looks like an ideal candidate to come in as Raul Jimenez’s long-term replacement at Molineux this summer, having been hailed as ‘exceptional’ by Barry Fry in the past.

He possesses the Mexican’s pace, power and aerial ability, winning 4.4 headers per game in the Premier League this season – far superior to Jimenez’s tally of 1.8.

Toney is also five years younger than the Wolves striker, whose form has understandably dipped since returning from a skull fracture, so the 26-year-old could come in as an immediate rival for the Mexican’s place and eventually become the undisputed first choice in attack.

The Brentford marksman has proven that he can score regularly in the Premier League, and goals have been lacking at Molineux all season long, so this seems like a match made in heaven for the Old Gold.

In other news, journalist Tim Spiers has bemoaned the decline of one Wolves player. Find out who it is here.

West Ham United have been dealt a huge injury blow to Said Benrahma after he was seen “on crutches” following his star performance in the clubs 4-0 win over relegated Norwich City.

That’s according to Roshane Thomas of the Athletic who took to his post-match Q&A to say: “Antonio (hip) and Dawson (calf) should be fine but Benrahma walked past the mixed zone on crutches. He was so good today. Would be a shame if he doesn’t play again this season.”

Benrahma answered any critics of his with an outstanding performance which saw him get two of the Hammers’ four goals as they marched towards a second successive season where they have secured European qualification.

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They remain seventh in the table but have increased the gap to Wolverhampton Wanderers to five points. It leaves West Ham’s destiny in their own hands with the club only having two games left to play.

Benrahma was given the second-highest rating of anyone on the pitch at Carrow Road by SofaScore at 8.0 with Jarrod Bowen the only player beating him, rating 8.5 after tallying two assists.

Given this performance, Moyes will be gutted as it will be a huge blow to the Hammers if they are without him for their final two games. The manager will be hoping that it doesn’t affect their chances of securing that European place.

He was substituted in the 76th for Nikola Vlasic but it represents a drop off in quality, and anyone brought in to replace the Algerian whilst he’s out injured would struggle to have the same effect.

His two goals move him into double figures for the season and he now sits on 11 proving he is one of the key forward players for the Hammers.

He joined the club from Brentford permanently in 2020 for a base fee of £20m after spending the season before on loan at the London stadium. It’s appearing that that purchase paid off with the player now scoring after struggling last season.

In his 33 appearances throughout the 2020/21 season he only scored one goal.

Moyes will be hoping it’s not too serious and that he can recover in time for next weekend’s game against Manchester City. West Ham have a real chance at pushing Manchester United all the way to the end and potentially securing a Europa League spot instead of a place in the Europa Conference League.

The last two matches will define the club’s season. Last week they were in with a chance of reaching a European final, come the end of may European football could be a distant memory. Hopefully, Benrahma’s absence won’t be the difference.

IN other news: Imagine him & Said: West Ham set to move for 22 y/o “hurricane”, he won’t cost a penny…

Celtic secured a 4-1 victory against Hearts in their latest Premiership game this afternoon, taking yet another step towards securing the league title.

With just three minutes on the clock, the first goal at Parkhead arrived as Jam Tarts striker Ellis Simms put his side ahead with a fine strike.

The Hoops then equalised thanks to a goal from Kyogo Furuhashi before his fellow countryman Daizen Maeda put Ange Postecoglou’s side ahead shortly afterwards.

During the second half, goals from Matt O’Riley and Giorgos Giakoumakis secured the three points for the home side, who are now on the verge of taking the league title off their Old Firm rivals.

Despite the Hoops coming back from behind to seal victory on this occasion, one figure in a Celtic shirt who didn’t have a particularly good game was Anthony Ralston.

Ralston’s poor performance

With the full 90 minutes under his belt, the right-back had 95 touches of the ball in total but wasn’t always particularly useful when he was in possession.

The full-back ended up giving the ball away on 18 different occasions, while with six crosses attempted, the Scotsman couldn’t get even one of them to find its intended target. He also failed to complete four of the seven long ball passes he tried to pull off.

Off the ball, things weren’t much better for the right-back, who committed three fouls and lost five of his nine duels, making him something of a liability for Postecoglou’s side.

This display ultimately earned the 23-year-old a rather underwhelming overall match rating of 6.8/10, making him the lowest-rated outfield player for Celtic according to SofaScore. That was even lower than Carl Starfelt, who was arguably at fault for Hearts’ early goal.

His uninspiring performance also caught the attention of Scottish Daily Express writer Matthew Fulton, who said that Ralston delivered ‘poor service into the area from him and had plenty of Hearts pressure to deal with’.

Having been slammed by Frank McAvennie for his “hopeless” performances for the Bhoys in the past, this isn’t far off what the 23-year-old was for his team this afternoon.

In other news – Enquiry made, then joined rivals: Celtic had the last laugh over “huge” 161 G/A dynamo

Manchester City are on the road this evening with an away clash against Leeds United at Elland Road.

Following on from their thrilling 4-3 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League in midweek, the Manchester club turn their attention back to the Premier League.

City’s previous league outing saw them put five goals past Watford at the Etihad Stadium last weekend in a 5-1 victory, with Gabriel Jesus scoring four.

Heading into today’s showdown, the away side will be without defenders Kyle Walker and John Stones through injury, as Pep Guardiola revealed in his latest press conference.

With that in mind, here’s how we feel City could line up to take on Jesse Marsch’s side.

Man City predicted XI: Ederson – Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko – De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo – Grealish, Jesus, Sterling

Despite conceding three goals in midweek, Ederson should keep his place in the team to try and keep a clean sheet this time out.

In the back four, we predict that Joao Cancelo will start at right-back in the absence of Walker, with Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte in the two centre-back positions.

Having been praised for his “ridiculous” assist against Everton earlier in the season, the Portugal full-back could be an ideal replacement for the injured Walker on this occasion.

At left-back, after starting against Real Madrid, we think that Oleksandr Zinchenko will be in the team again to try and keep Leeds winger Raphinha as quiet as possible.

In midfield, we can see Guardiola sticking with the same midfield trio which started on Tuesday, with Rodri playing in between midweek goalscorers Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva.

Moving up the pitch to the three attacking positions, after his plethora of goals against Watford and finding the net once again in midweek, we can see Jesus starting through the middle to try and keep his goalscoring form going.

Then, on either side of the in-form Brazilian, we think that Guardiola will take both Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden out and replace them with England duo Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling to try and freshen up the attack from their midweek outing.

Having been accused of being “frustrating” by Micah Richards for not delivering the most of what he has to offer on the pitch, Mahrez – who is currently picking up a wage of £160k-per-week – could well find himself on the bench on this occasion.

In other news: Behind-the-scenes development emerges, it’s great news for Man City supporters

Leeds United are now considering a January approach to sign a “fantastic” Premier League forward, who wants to leave his current club.

Leeds looking to bolster attacking options in January

Former scout Mick Brown has made it clear that Leeds still want to sign a new centre-forward next month, despite a recent uptick in form, telling Football Insider: “Leeds will still want to sign a new striker,”

“It’s easy to get caught up in recent results, and Calvert-Lewin has been very impressive, but that doesn’t take away from all of the games when he wasn’t performing.”

The former Everton man now has four goals to his name in 13 Premier League outings, which is a respectable return, and Daniel Farke should be encouraged the striker managed to score against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in consecutive games.

That said, with the Whites still only two points above the relegation zone, bringing in another forward during the upcoming transfer window could help boost their survival chances.

Not only are they keen on a new striker, but a new winger is also of interest, with contact being made over a deal for Barcelona’s Roony Bardghji, and another target has now entered the frame.

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states Leeds are now considering a January approach for Chelsea forward Tyrique George, who has decided he wants to leave the Blues, having struggled for minutes under Enzo Maresca.

George is yet to start a Premier League game in 2025-26, having fallen behind Chelsea’s new signings in the pecking order, and clubs are now queuing up to secure his signature, with Everton, Southampton and Fulham also keen.

The Whites are keen to bring in a creative player, capable of playing on the wing and in the number 10 role, and the 19-year-old might fit the bill…

"Fantastic" George could be solid Wilson alternative

Harry Wilson has been a long-term target for Leeds, having pursued the Fulham man during the summer, but it would not be surprising if the Cottagers are keen to keep hold of the winger, given that he has been in red-hot form.

Indeed, the Welshman has four goal contributions to his name in his last six Premier League outings, so Farke’s side may have to move onto alternative targets, and the Chelsea ace could be an exciting option, having received high praise from scout Jacek Kulig.

The Englishman has been impressing for club and country whenever given the opportunity, chipping in with three goals and one assist in ten outings for the Blues this season.

Romano: Leeds make contact to sign "outstanding" £21m attacker in January

The Whites have received a response after making an approach for a new attacker.

ByDominic Lund Dec 7, 2025

However, George needs more game time if he is going to fulfill his lofty potential, so a move to Elland Road could be ideal.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has described his fifth yellow card of the season as “mind boggling”.

The Everton midfielder will miss Sunday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace after reaching the threshold for a one-game suspension after only six Premier League matches.

Dewsbury-Hall’s latest yellow card came in Monday night’s 1-1 draw against West Ham for a challenge on Kyle Walker-Peters where he appeared to clearly get the ball. Writing on X, the 27-year-old said:

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, and I might be, but some of these decisions are so hard to take. Mind boggling.”

Everton 1-1 West Ham

6.43

Liverpool 2-1 Everton

6.86

Everton 0-0 Aston Villa

6.72

Everton 2-0 Brighton

6.75

Leeds 1-0 Everton

6.77

Dewsbury-Hall has impressed for the Toffees since making the move from Chelsea this summer, scoring his first goal against Wolves last month. Everton boss David Moyes agreed with the midfielder’s assessment, saying:

The international break will have come at a welcome time for Rangers and under-fire boss, Russell Martin, with the former Scotland defender having endured a miserable start to life at Ibrox.

Four points from four in the Premiership, alongside a Champions League qualifying embarrassment, has already plunged the ex-Southampton boss into crisis. Can he turn it around?

There’s no hiding from what was a miserable August, although nothing has been decided yet. The season is only in its infancy.

With 14 new signings needing to properly bed in to life in Glasgow, it may still be too soon to properly judge Martin’s tenure, albeit with the pressure on considering the nature of their summer outlay.

Roughly £30m was reportedly spent by the Gers during the most recent window, with the most notable investment having been the £8m that was splashed out on goal-shy Everton youngster, Youssef Chermiti.

That eye-watering fee – which could rise to £10m with add-ons – will bring with it a lefty weight of expectation. Is the Portuguese striker worth the risk?

Youssef Chermiti's record pre-Rangers

Three goals in 22 games for Sporting Lisbon. No goals in 24 senior outings for the Toffees. A record that points to Rangers – and former Everton chief Kevin Thelwell – gambling on potential rather than proven quality.

It is a “heck of a gamble” at that, in the words of club legend Ally McCoist, with there little evidence to suggest that Chermiti will prove to be a success in Scottish football, amid his recent woes on Merseyside.

Signed on a £15m deal by the Premier League side back in the summer of 2023, the 21-year-old has been reduced to bit-part status since then, albeit with then-boss Sean Dyche admitting in 2024 that he was recruited as a “development player” who would have fared better with a loan move.

Rather than a temporary exit, Chermiti has now secured a permanent switch to Scotland, thus marking the club’s most expensive outlay since the £12m capture of Tore Andre Flo back in 2000.

The merits of such a deal can be debated long into the night, with the Portugal youth international – who has scored seven times in 75 recorded games at academy and senior level, as per Transfermarkt – in need of a positive start to try and win over an expectant fanbase.

That said, the Light Blues’ extensive recruitment can help ease the burden on the marquee new addition, with Bojan Miovski likely to be the main man in attack for Martin and co instead.

Bojan Miovski's market value

If Chermiti is the long-term expensive gamble, then Miovski appears to be the perfect alternative, providing an experienced, ‘proven’ option who has already delivered the goods in the Premiership.

Market Movers

Described as a player who “does everything” during his time at Aberdeen by Billy Dodds, due to his impressive scoring rate and link-up play, the Macedonian marksman could prove a real coup following his £2.6m switch.

Indeed, while Chermiti is yet to flourish at first-team level, the 26-year-old has more than proven his worth in recent years, having notably scored 44 times in 98 games during his time at Pittodrie.

That impressive haul included a fine record on the big occasion, with Miovski scoring four times from just nine meetings with Rangers in all competitions, alongside netting three times in eight games against Celtic.

Livingston

7

5

Rangers

9

4

Hibs

9

4

Ross County

8

4

St Mirren

7

4

Motherwell

7

4

Celtic

8

3

While a return of four goals in 23 games for Girona last term is hardly the most eye-catching, the clinical number nine has already been there and done it for the Dons, a fact that pundit Andy Walker believes will make him a “better signing” than his new teammate:

That fact is also reinforced when considering what Miovski’s actual market value is, with the Gers having seemingly secured a bargain when considering their £2.6m investment.

As per the great minds at CIES Football Observatory, the 33-cap international has a peak value of as much as €16m (£14m), eclipsing the figure that was dished out on Chermiti.

While Rangers won’t be looking to cash in on their new addition any time soon, that valuation does point to them striking a significant profit in the years to come.

Better than Chermiti: Rangers must regret selling "rapid" star for just £4m

After signing Youssef Chermiti for an enormous fee of £8m, would Rangers have been better off keeping a “rapid” attacker sold for £4m?

Sep 8, 2025

Aston Villa have booked a medical for a transfer target after agreeing terms over a four-year deal at Villa Park, and he could be the club’s next Jhon Duran.

How Jhon Duran is doing in Saudi Arabia after Aston Villa sale

It looked as if the 2024/25 season would be Duran’s big breakthrough campaign under Unai Emery, especially after he scored a famous winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League league phase.

Games

78

Goals

20

Assists

1

Minutes played

2,275

However, despite being a regular in the first half of the season, Duran was sold by Villa to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in the January transfer window. Talking after moving to Saudi Arabia, Duran said: “I’m really happy about the move. People in general and the media speculate about a lot of things. I think of only my family, my agent and me. I know why we make the decisions that we make. My family are especially important in these decisions. I don’t think it’s a backwards step for me. I’m moving to a competitive league and there are many stars here.”

Villa could go on to receive more than £70m after only signing Duran for £18m from Chicago Fire in January 2023, and the Colombia international has gone on to score on a regular basis for his new employers. In 18 appearances for Al-Nassr, Duran has scored 12 goals, partnering Cristiano Ronaldo in attack.

Villa are now on the search for their next attacking gem, and they feel they may have found it in likely first summer signing Zepiqueno Redmond following talks last month.

Aston Villa book medical to sign Zepiqueno Redmond

According to Football Insider and reporter Pete O’Rourke, Aston Villa have planned for Feyenoord forward Redmond to have his Midlands medical early next week.

The teenager has agreed a four-year deal with Villa and a move will be made official when his Feyenoord contract expires at the end of June.

Aged just 18, Redmond can play on either wing or as an attacking midfielder alongside his centre-forward role, and according to O’Rourke, ‘Emery and Monchi believe the Netherlands youth international can become as successful as Duran, the last teenage striker they signed.’

It is a big claim, and if Redmond can have the success Duran did in the Midlands, then Aston Villa will definitely be onto a winner and could go on to make big money further down the line.

Aston Villa submit bid to sign "unique" £21m defender and receive reply

The Villans have launched a move for a right-back…

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Fabrizio Romano has called Redmond “a talent” and “a striker with important potential”, with clubs in Italy also keen on the forward before Villa made their move.

The youngster will arrive at Villa after scoring two senior goals for Feyenoord in just nine appearances, so we may see him in Emery’s match day squads from the off in 25/26.

The transfer window is just around the corner, and it feels set to be an era-defining one for Arsenal.

While a third second-placed finish on the bounce is far from ideal, Mikel Arteta’s side have proven without a shadow of a doubt now that they are one of the very best teams in the country, but they’ve also shown that they lack a cutting-edge up top.

Therefore, it’s hardly been surprising to see the club linked with a host of talented strikers in recent weeks and months, with two of the most significant being Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko.

However, while either would surely improve the Gunners, recent reports have linked them to someone who’d be a better signing than both.

Arsenal's Sesko & Gyokeres alternative

Before getting to the superstar in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other centre-forwards who have been touted for moves to Arsenal in recent weeks, like Julian Alvarez and Joao Pedro.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former has been linked with the North Londoners quite heavily over the last week or so, and while it would be hard to pry him away from Atlético Madrid a year after he joined them, it would be worth trying as in just 54 games this season, he has scored 29 goals and provided seven assists.

On the other hand, Pedro could be available for close to £100m, which, for all his undeniable talent, does feel a little steep, as he’s only played 30 games this season, in which he’s scored ten goals and provided seven assists.

In other words, the Brazilian marksman doesn’t feel like he’d be a better signing than Sesko or Gyokeres, unlike Alexander Isak.

Yes, according to a recent report from the Mail Online, the Newcastle United striker remains in the picture ahead of the summer.

While the report claims that a transfer feels unlikely due to his price tag now being ‘north of £100m,’ it also reveals, crucially, that the Swedish international is ‘Arteta’s preferred choice.’

It would be a complicated and costly deal to get over the line, but given Isak’s unreal ability, it’s one well worth going all out for, especially as he’d be a better signing than Sesko or Gyokeres.

Why Isak would be a better signing than Sesko & Gyokeres

So, let’s start off with the most straightforward and significant reason why Isak would be a far better signing than Sesko: his output.

For example, in just 42 appearances for the Toon this season, totalling 3324 minutes, the 25-year-old “bagsman,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored 27 goals and provided six assists.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.27 games, or every 100.72 minutes, which is undeniably superb.

Appearances

42

45

Minutes

3324′

3258′

Goals

27

21

Assists

6

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.78

0.6

Minutes per Goal Involvement

100.72′

120.66′

In contrast, the Leipzig star has found the back of the net 21 times and provided six assists in 45 appearances, totalling 3258 minutes this season, which comes out to a good but less impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.66 games or every 120.66 minutes.

Now, that might be a little crude, but when it comes down to a striker, the most important metric is their raw output, and when it comes down to it, that’s something the former Real Sociedad star has over the Slovenian.

However, things get a little more complicated when it comes to Gyokeres because, by that same logic, his absurd haul of 54 goals and 13 assists in 52 appearances suggests he’d be the better poacher to bring to the club this summer.

Yet, that’s not the case, and the crucial reason why is that the former Coventry City gem has no experience of football in a top five league.

There is a genuine risk that the Stockholm-born star could be a repeat of Darwin Núñez, who moved to Liverpool off the back of producing 38 goal involvements in 41 games for Benfica in the 21/22 campaign and just finished this season with a haul of 14 goal involvements in 47 games.

Ultimately, if Arsenal can, they should be doing all they can to sign Isak this summer, as he’s already a far better goalscorer than Sesko and has far more experience playing and thriving in the toughest competitions than Gyokeres.

Better than Sane: Arteta makes £50m winger Arsenal's new priority signing

The international star would be a great addition to Arsenal’s squad this summer.

ByJack Salveson Holmes May 29, 2025