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West Ham boss David Moyes is eyeing a reunion with one of his former stars, according to emerging reports this week…

What’s the word?

90min claim that the Scotsman is interested in bringing Ross Barkley to the London Stadium, should he not be able to secure a return for loan sensation Jesse Lingard.

The 27-year-old midfielder is one of several players who have been told they can leave Chelsea this window.

Signing the Manchester United ace permanently remains a priority in East London but their chances of securing him are diminishing by the week, so a move for Barkley could come to fruition much sooner than expected.

Must steer clear

However, Moyes risks undoing his good work at the club as Barkley is not fit to fill Lingard’s attacking midfield void.

The 28-year-old provided nine goals and five assists following his arrival in January and his form resulted in him being graded as the Hammers’ second highest-rated player for the whole season.

Meanwhile, Barkley struggled to keep up consistency during a loan spell with Aston Villa, who the Irons were rivalling for a place in Europe at one point.

As per Transfermarkt, the £18m-rated dynamo delivered only one goal and three assists,  with three of those four goal contributions coming before mid-November, meaning he went 18 games with just one goal to his name.

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In fact, The Athletic’s Villa reporter Gregg Evans went as far as deeming him a “liability” on the ‘1874’ podcast.

“He doesn’t do enough for me now. I’ve seen enough of Ross Barkley now to realise that he’s becoming a bit of a liability for Villa. He’s not helping out enough as he should, really. Whether that’s impacting on John McGinn, I don’t know.”

If Moyes were to turn his attentions to the player he gave a professional debut to at Goodison Park, then he risks ruining the project he’s building at the London Stadium.

The 58-year-old has transformed West Ham from relegation candidates, avoiding the drop with one game to spare in 2019/20, to qualifying for the Europa League.

He’s done so through shrewd acquisitions like Lingard, Tomas Soucek, Said Benrahma and Vladimir Coufal and not by bringing washed-up stars like Barkley to the club.

The 33-time England international has failed to provide a double-figure campaign, in terms of goals and assists combined, since the 2016/17 campaign. At least Lingard had delivered in the few seasons building up to his absence last year.

Moyes must avoid making a move for the £100k-per-week Chelsea flop this summer.

AND in other news, Moyes could sign West Ham’s next Payet in swoop for £13.5m-rated “special talent”…

West Bromwich Albion are considering a move which would bring Adam Reach to The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Express & Star, who claimed that Valerien Ismael is weighing up a move for the former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder, who is a free agent following his departure from Hillsborough upon the expiry of his contract with the Owls at the end of last season.

The report added that Blackburn Rovers are also keeping a close eye on the situation of the 28-year-old ahead of a potential move this summer, while it is claimed that the former England under-20 international is one of several targets being monitored by the Baggies.

Reach could transform West Brom

While Reach may not be the most headline-grabbing transfer Ismael could get over the line at West Brom this summer, the possible addition of the midfielder could easily be viewed as a key signing in the club’s transformation under the Frenchman’s leadership.

With the 45-year-old often deploying a 3-4-2-1 in his time at Barnsley, and with the 28-year-old being adept at playing left-back, left midfield and left-wing, Reach could well become an important player for Ismael as a result of his versatility, as well as his consistently impressive level of Championship performances.

Indeed, over his 44 appearances in the division for Darren Moore’s side last term, the £2.52m-rated man bagged five goals, provided three assists and created five big chances for his teammates, taking 1.3 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

The £23k-per-week midfielder also helped out for his team defensively, averaging 0.9 interceptions, one tackle and one clearance and winning 2.8 duels per match.

These returns saw the man who George Elek dubbed a “creative” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.82, ranking him as the Owls’ sixth-best player in the league last term.

With West Brom currently only having Conor Townsend as a viable option for the left-back slot, it is evident that greater depth is required ahead of an arduous Championship season.

As such, Reach could well prove to be a very astute signing for Albion this season, and one who could help transform West Brom into a quintessential Valerien Ismael side.

In other news: Reliable journalist drops West Brom transfer development, Ismael will be gutted

Wigan Athletic are reportedly keen on signing Rangers’ Jordan Jones this summer, which could be the ideal opportunity for Steven Gerrard to axe him from his squad at Ibrox.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Record, Wigan are poised to make a move for the former Kilmarnock man this summer after he impressed in League One on loan at Sunderland last season.

Jones has managed just 19 appearances for Rangers since joining the club in 2019, contributing just one goal and two assists, so it seems clear that the Northern Irishman doesn’t have what it takes to be a regular in Gerrard’s side.

Should Rangers sell Jones?

The 26-year-old was handed a suspension in November 2020 after breaking some of the covid guidelines in Scotland and was subsequently sent out on loan to Sunderland, which was perhaps always likely to spell the end of his career at Ibrox.

During his time in the North East, the winger would make 20 appearances for Sunderland, contributing three goals and four assists, averaging a solid 6.88 rating from WhoScored.

Therefore, it is no surprise to see him attracting interest from an ambitious side such as Wigan, who have seemingly put their financial issues behind them and are now spending big in an attempt to win promotion from England’s third tier.

Gerrard has praised Jones in the past, dubbing him a “real threat” in 2020 but he has fallen well down the pecking order at Ibrox in the past two seasons, with the likes of Ryan Kent, Scott Wright, Ianis Hagi and now Fashion Sakala all arguably better options for the Gers out wide.

It seems clear that the winger will be a fringe option at best for Gerrard next season, and given that his contract at Ibrox is not set to expire until 2023, Rangers may be best served cashing in on him now rather than continuing to pay his wages for another two seasons.

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If the reports are true and Wigan do make a suitable offer for Jones, then Rangers should definitely let him go.

And, in other news… Rangers handed significant boost with “outstanding” 33-goal beast, Wilson must deliver

Alasdair Gold has delivered an exciting update as Tottenham Hotspur appear to be ramping up their transfer plans this window…

What’s the word?

The ever-reliable football.london reporter revealed that the Premier League side were close to making their first two signings of the summer, with sporting director Fabio Paratici in talks with Atalanta for a pair of their players.

He tweeted: “Understand Spurs’ managing director of football Fabio Paratici has held advanced talks to sign Atalanta centre-back Cristian Romero and goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini.”

Reason to be excited

With the new season less than a month away, it has to be hugely encouraging news that the club are close to landing a couple of signings for new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Portuguese coach has it all to do to turn around the sinking Spurs ship but signing a new goalkeeper and defender would be the perfect boost before the competitive action gets underway, with defending champions Manchester City in town on August 15.

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Spurs recorded the worst defensive record of any of the traditional ‘big six’ and that largely boiled down to a combination of a lack of leadership and several individual mistakes.

For example, the partnership of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez – two players involved in Jose Mourinho’s 16 different defensive combinations in 2020/21 – was deemed one of the worst in the top-flight by former midfielder Jamie O’Hara.

Similarly, long-serving club captain Hugo Lloris was described as a “weak link” in this abysmal squad, with another talkSPORT pundit dubbing him “lettuce wrists” following their premature FA Cup exit to Everton in February, in which the vastly experienced Frenchman leaked five goals.

It’s clear that these are two problem positions which have been instantly identified by Paratici and now he’s acting upon it, and that’s a positive sign from a club that once went 18 months without signing a single player.

Therefore, the Lilywhites faithful should be absolutely buzzing with this news, as it appears that the north Londoners are looking to do their business early, which in turn will surely give Nuno the best chance of righting the wrongs of the Mourinho era.

AND in other news, Paratici could get Spurs rocking again by signing “special” £26m-rated “huge talent”…

If he ever needed motivation to beat the West Indies, and events yesterday will have provided him with plenty, New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has another

Lynn McConnell18-Jun-2002If he ever needed motivation to beat the West Indies, and events yesterday will have provided him with plenty, New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has another.It relates to the ICC Test Championship that losing captains say they don’t take any notice of while long-suffering captains who achieve some consistency of performance are only too happy to acknowledge, in much the same way as politicians rate opinion polls.If you hadn’t already noticed, by virtue of Sri Lanka’s series loss in England, they have lost their third place on the championship ladder and New Zealand have stepped into the breach, this despite their record loss to Pakistan in their last Test match outing.Such is the nature of the table, however, that if New Zealand can be sufficiently fired up to perform well against the West Indies they will strengthen position on the Test table.The table at the moment reads:Australia 1.54 1, South Africa 1.50 2, New Zealand 1.13 3, Sri Lanka 1.07 4, England 1.06 5, West Indies 0.93 6, Pakistan 0.81 7, India 0.79 8, Zimbabwe 0.50 9, Bangladesh 0 10.It is one of the inequities of the system developed for the championship that New Zealand can suffer a hiding as they did against Pakistan but it counts for nothing because the two match series was abandoned before that game could be played.However, the prize for New Zealand from success would be significant.If they could win the series in the West Indies, and their toughest rival may well be the weather, they would move to an average of 1.18.If they draw the series, they will drop ever so slightly to 1.12. However, if they lose they would slip back below Sri Lanka and join England in fourth on the table.The West Indies’ average too can increase or decrease but not by enough to affect their current ranking. They won the last series in the West Indies 1-0, but this falls outside of the initial five-year cut off period set by the ICC for the championship.

كشف تقرير مغربي عن تكليف الجنوب إفريقي باتريس موتسيبي رئيس الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم للمغربي فوزي لقجع والسنغالي أوجستين سنجور باختيار ملعب نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا 2022.

وكان الأهلي قد تأهل لنصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا ويستعد لمواجهة وفاق سطيف الجزائري غدًا في جولة الذهاب على ملعب السلام بالقاهرة.

طالع أيضًا.. اتحاد الكرة يحفظ حقوق الأهلي في خطاب لـ كاف بشأن ملعب نهائي أبطال إفريقيا

وذكرت النسخة الإليكترونية لجريدة “المنتخب” المغربية أن رئيس الاتحاد المغربي لكرة القدم ونظيره السنغالي هما المكلفان بملف اختيار الملعب الذي سيحتضن نهائي النسخة الحالية لدوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وكان الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم قد خاطب كاف لمطالبته بإقامة مباراة النهائي على ملعب محايد من أجل إرساء مبدأ تكافؤ الفرص بين طرفي المواجهة، خاصةً وأن الوداد المغربي قد تأهل للمربع الذهبي حيث سيواجه بترو أتليتيكو الأنجولي.

وأفاد التقرير ذاته أن لقجع أصر على إقامة نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا على مركب محمد الخامس بالدار البيضاء في المغرب حتى لو اقتضى الأمر اللجوء للتصويت.

ويشارك مركب محمد الخامس في سباق الملاعب المرشحة لاستضافة النهائي مع ملعب عبد الله واد بداكار في السنغال وملعب لاجوس بنيجيريا.

ومن المنتظر أن يتم حسم الملعب في الأسبوع المقبل، لمعرفة الدولة التي ستستضيف نهائي البطولة القارية.

أعرب توماس مولر عن سعادته بتتويجه مع فريقه بايرن ميونخ بلقب الدوري الألماني لموسم 2021-2022، وهو لقبه العاشر على التوالي، والثاني والثلاثين في تاريخ النادي.

وفاز بايرن ميونخ على بوروسيا دورتموند بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف ليتوج بطلاً للبوندسليجا.

وأدلى مولر بتصريحات عقب الفوز لـ”سكاي ألمانيا”: “أردنا ذلك تمامًا اليوم، كان هناك الكثير من الإحباط خلال الأيام القليلة الماضية (يقصد توديع دوري أبطال أوروبا من ربع النهائي)، أجمل شيء أن تصبح بطلاً لألمانيا”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. نوير يوضح موقفه من الاستمرار في بايرن ميونخ

مضيفًا: “دوري الأبطال هو بالطبع قطعة الكريز على الكعكة، لكن البوندسليجا هو ما يذهب المشجعون إلى الملاعب من أجله”.

وأتم مولر الحديث ردًا عن مستقبله مع بايرن ميونخ: “الشعور اليوم أنه من الصعب الرحيل”.

Aston Villa and West Ham have both made contact over a potential deal for Young Boys defender Mohamed Camara.

And, as to be expected, a number of Aston Villa fans have been reacting to the links on social media.

According to Sports Witness, Villa and the Hammers have asked for information regarding the 23-year-old centre-back.

No formal offers have been made, however, the Swiss side would allow the Guinea international to leave this summer, should a convincing offer come in.

Villa recently confirmed they have reached an agreement with Royal Antwerp for Bjorn Engels, with the centre-back now set to depart Villa Park.

Camara could well replace Engels, with the former making 39 appearances in all competitions last season.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared the news of Villa’s interest in Camara on Twitter on Thursday afternoon.

This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with many not knowing much about Camara.

“Big spenders fc at it again. First team squad is gonna be 100 man deep”Credit: @J7_BVN”idk who that is but i’m all for it”Credit: @DanAV___”If this happens, we’ll have Trezeguet AND Pique. Massive club”Credit: @VillansOpinions”Yess”Credit: @avfcmds”This link now looks a lot more believable”Credit: @stephenoleary89″Anyone know him?”Credit: @avfctom_

In other news: Many AVFC fans buzz as inside NSWE info emerges, find out more here. 

Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Lille attacking midfielder Jonathan Ikone this summer as Jurgen Klopp looks to bolster his squad.

The Lowdown: Reinforcements required

The Reds managed to salvage a disappointing season last month, finishing third in the Premier League after an excellent end to the campaign. The importance of qualifying for the Champions League cannot be downplayed, both financially and in terms of being able to attract top players this summer.

Klopp will be keen on making a few additions, with depth in attacking areas potentially something he may look at improving given the largely disappointing goal returns from his forwards.

The Latest: Liverpool eye up Ikone move

According to Anfield Central, Liverpool are ‘genuinely interested’ in signing Lille’s Ikone in the next transfer window, with the Frenchman a newly-crowned Ligue 1 champion. The 23-year-old scored four goals and registered five assists as his club sealed title glory in France and he featured in all but one of their league games.

Liverpool believe they can sign Ikone at a good price, potentially bringing him in as a replacement for Xherdan Shaqiri, who in recent weeks has been linked with a possible exit from Anfield.

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The Verdict: Exciting long-term addition

Ikone is an exciting young player who could bring quality and guile to the Reds’ midfield, having averaged more dribbles per game (1.4) than Mohamed Salah (one) in the league last season.

He may not come in as a key starter immediately, but with Jordan Henderson and Thiago both in their 30s now, he could be viewed as a long-term replacement in the middle of the park, albeit in a more attacking role.

At 23, Ikone would be arriving at a similar age to the likes Salah (25) and Sadio Mane (24) when they joined Liverpool, showing that he could mature into an even more formidable player over time.

In other news, one Liverpool player has been linked with a move abroad this summer – find out who it is here.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for AC Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu as the summer transfer window approaches.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Reds have made contact with the 27-year-old’s agent, with his contract at San Siro set to expire over the coming weeks.

Serie A giants Juventus and Qatari outfit Al-Duhail are also credited with an interest in Calhanoglu as the race for his signature hots up.

Klopp needs him

Liverpool’s all-action gegenpressing style has proved hugely successful for Jurgen Klopp’s men in recent years.

A first Premier League title arrived just 12 months after the enigmatic German manager delivered the Anfield outfit’s sixth European crown but a hugely substandard 2020/21 campaign has left the need for some readjustments on Merseyside.

The high-energy, direct nature of Liverpool’s attacking play was fuelled by the work rate and tireless running of their midfielders.

Whether it was Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Fabinho taking up residence in the centre of the park, Klopp’s charges would regularly win the ball back high up the pitch before playing quick, simple passes to their famed front three.

However, their usually high standards dropped in the recently-concluded campaign, and a lack of alternative options available throughout Liverpool’s squad hurt the 19-time English champions.

Ever since Philippe Coutinho departed for Barcelona in January 2018, Klopp has been unable to call upon the service of a natural number 10.

The arrival of Thiago last summer added a deep-lying playmaker to Liverpool’s ranks, but the absence of a creative talent who thrives on playing intricate passes and through balls from an advanced midfield area has been noticeable in recent years.

Acquiring the services of Calhanoglu could solve that particular problem and Klopp may need the Turkey international if he wants to regain the Premier League crown for Liverpool.

Milan manager Stefan Pioli has praised the former Bayer Leverkusen wizard’s ability after his impressive performances in Italy, saying: “He knows how to marry perfectly with the game of his teammates. I have great respect for him, and with intelligent players, you can play great games. He has the qualities to have some more goals.”

Twelve assists in 43 appearances for the Rossoneri in 2020/21 illustrates the quality that Calhanoglu would bring to Anfield, and given that he’s available on a free transfer, it’s a signing which makes sense for many reasons for Klopp and Liverpool.

In other news…Edwards must avoid Liverpool’s next El Hadji Diouf in £25m-valued flop