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As per the Daily Express, there has been an update on West Ham United manager David Moyes’ bid to bring a new striker to the London Stadium.

The Lowdown: Moyes ‘desperate’ for new forward…

One of the Scotsman’s personal summer transfer missions was, unsurprisingly, the quest to sign a new out-and-out striker to provide backup to Michail Antonio.

The 31-year-old, who is currently on tour with Jamaica during this international break, has suffered with various fitness issues in the past and his injury record comes as a possible cause for concern.

He has been in red-hot form so far this season, bagging six goals and three assists in just 10 top-flight outings whilst winning August’s Premier League Player of the Month award.

One bad knock for Antonio could spell trouble, with Moyes previously admitting to the press he has been ‘desperate’ to sign an alternative natural striking option.

There have been no shortage of links to potential new additions, including the likes of Adam Hlozek and Andrea Belotti most recently, but it now looks as if Moyes has his eyes on another target.

The Latest: West Ham eye Simeone swoop…

According to Daily Express and transfer reporter Ryan Taylor, the Hammers are eyeing a ‘third transfer swoop’ for in-form Serie A goal machine Simeone.

The Hellas Verona star, who is currently on loan from Cagliari, is now apparently ‘top of West Ham’s striker shortlist’ after they had previously attempted to sign him twice over 2021.

They apparently explored Simeone, the son of Atletico Madrid boss Diego, on a couple of occasions this year – once in the January window and again in the summer, when they entered talks over a ‘potential loan plus £14million option to buy’.

However, as explained by this report, there may be a problem in West Ham’s pursuit of the 26-year-old, with Hellas looking set to trigger an option to buy. This may ‘complicate’ a move for West Ham and it currently looks unclear whether they can prise Simeone away from Italy.

The Verdict: Time to move on?

Out of Moyes’ striking shortlist, it’s no surprise the Argentine international has made his way to the top given his stellar form so far this campaign.

Bagging nine goals and three assists in just 10 Serie A outings (Transfermarkt), he has even managed to outscore Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic who is one of the most coveted strikers in Europe right now.

Former Real Madrid boss and footballing icon Zinedine Zidane is also an admirer of Simeone, having previously admitted to Italian TV (via Tribal Football) that he ‘really’ likes the forward. The 26-year-old has also racked up a solid career tally of 79 goals across his senior career, pointing to a prolific option.

However, given Hellas’ role and the rumour that they’re looking set to trigger his option to buy, Moyes may now need to ponder alternatives, and we believe Belotti comes as the most fruitful option.

An experienced Italy international and proven scorer at the top level, Torino may also be forced to sell for a cheaper price in January given that his contract expires in 2022.

In other news: ‘Huge’ – Sky Sports pundit raves as West Ham eye ‘massive signing’ for Moyes, find out more here.

Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite ‘will certainly want to show his ability at a senior level’ and a loan move could be ‘perfect’ for his development, Adam Jones writes.

The lowdown

Centre-back Branthwaite has featured in the matchday squad for seven of Everton’s 11 Premier League matches so far this season, but he’s yet to play a single minute in the competition under Rafael Benitez.

However, his only piece of first-team action has come in the EFL Cup win over Huddersfield Town back in August, perhaps indicating he would be best place securing some much-needed game time in a temporary exit from the Toffees.

The England Under-20 international is a ‘terrific footballer’ who ‘has got everything’, according to his former manager Steven Pressley (evertonfc.com), with Jones now believing he could feasibly move away in the winter window.

The latest

The Liverpool Echo’s Jones notes that Branthwaite is ‘too good’ for the Under-23s, but ‘hasn’t had opportunities’ at senior level.

The ‘highly-rated’ youngster will be keen to prove himself in the men’s game, he says.

And so he could potentially request a loan move in January to rack up valuable experience.

The verdict

This really does seem a logical move for both parties. Benitez may be reluctant to be part with a player he clearly considers a defensive back-up midway through the season but, as Jones notes, loaning Branthwaite out ‘would surely benefit’ Everton in the long-term.

After he started 10 matches during his spell at Blackburn Rovers in the latter half of the 2020/21 campaign, you’d imagine there’d be Championship suitors if he were to be made available.

The 19-year-old arguably possesses an abundance of potential, especially going by Pressley’s past comments, and you could even argue he has the physicality to succeed in England’s second tier.

Standing at a colossal 6 foot 4, Branthwaite could more than hold his own up against the Championship’s sturdiest strikers – but time will tell whether Everton do in fact sanction a brief departure.

In other news, fans fumed over this transfer update. 

Aston Villa are plotting a move to bring Glen Kamara to the club ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claimed that the Premier League side have been tracking the Rangers midfielder closely over the past 12 months, with Johan Lange believed to be a big fan of the Finland international.

The report added that the recent appointment of former Gers manager Steven Gerrard in the Villa Park dugout has ramped up the Midlanders’ interest in the 26-year-old, who is thought to be one of Villa’s top transfer targets ahead of the winter window.

Gerrard’s dream signing

Considering just how important a part of the Rangers side Kamara proved to be during Gerrard’s tenure at Ibrox, it is easy to argue that the midfielder would be something of a dream signing for the 41-year-old in January.

Indeed, over his 33 Scottish Premiership appearances in the Gers’ unbeaten title-winning 2020/21 campaign, the £5.4m-rated midfielder scored one goal, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making 0.8 key passes per game.

The man who Finnish journalist Janne Oivio dubbed as “the best” player within his international side also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making 60.6 passes, 1.1 tackles and 0.9 interceptions and winning 4.1 duels per match.

These returns saw Kamara average a SofaScore match rating of 6.99, something which clearly demonstrates his importance within the Rangers squad.

With it being reported that the Light Blues will need to sell players in order to find moves for their own transfer targets in the coming months, a deal for the 26-year-old very much seems to be on the cards for Villa in January – something which would undoubtedly delight Gerrard.

In other news: Aston Villa confirm big development which is sure to have fans over the moon

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa could fix his side’s summer howler by signing Chelsea starlet Billy Gilmour on loan.

What’s the story?

The Whites were linked with a number of midfielders in the transfer window, including Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien, but failed to get a deal done for any of them.

Now, amid speculation suggesting that Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is considering recalling Gilmour from his loan spell at Norwich City, Kevin Phillips has touted Bielsa’s side as the perfect destination for the Scotland international.

He said: “He should go back out on loan to somewhere like Leeds. Bielsa plays good football, they aren’t rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, and he will probably get more game time.

“Leeds play more of the type of football Gilmour is suited to, so it would be a great move for him. We’ve seen Bielsa get the best out of some youngsters and there’s no reason why he couldn’t do that with Gilmour.”

Forget Forshaw

While Andrea Radrizzani pointed towards Adam Forshaw as the man Leeds could turn to as their midfield saviour, the Whites simply cannot afford to rely upon someone who has spent so long out with injury and could, by all means, break down again.

In Gilmour, they could get someone with some Premier League experience already and has been widely lauded by a number of people for the amount of potential he has.

Aston Villa and Scotland compatriot John McGinn hailed his fellow midfielder as a “world-class player”, and added: “He’s going through a rough patch at Norwich and is frustrated not to be playing. But when he’s in the Scotland jersey, he’s always at the top of his game.”

And, speaking after Scotland’s 0-0 draw with England earlier this year, Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness said: “He’s a fabulous little football player and when you factor in that last season he only made five starts in the Premier League for Chelsea, he’s not played a lot of football and he came into what was a hothouse of a game – high tempo, loads of pressing – and he managed to stay there.

“He’s just got that all round awareness of where people are all of the time and his first touch is generally away from the man who is marking him. He creates space for himself.”

The Whites’ inability to sign a new midfielder in the summer transfer window left them desperately short in that department, and early season injuries to the likes of Kalvin Phillips just went to expose that glaring lack of depth.

The £13.5m-rated Gilmour can be the ideal midfield cover Victor Orta looks to sign in January were he to become available.

Meanwhile, Leeds are battling to sign this striker…

West Brom face another test in the Championship tonight with a home clash against Nottingham Forest to try and get their season back on track after weeks of mixed results.

Their previous league outing saw them draw 0-0 against Blackpool, leaving the Baggies without a win in their last three games.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players West Brom manager Valerien Ismael could pick for his starting XI to take on Forest, one man who featured in the draw against Blackpool but should not be in the team on this occasion is Cedric Kipre.

In the match at Blackpool in midweek, the centre-back – who is currently earning a weekly wage of £14k-per-week according to Salary Sport – was something of a liability at the back for the Baggies, even though they managed to keep a clean sheet on the day.

In this regard, the 24-year-old managed to get dribbled past on two occasions, gave three fouls away (which led to him being handed a yellow card), lost possession 13 times, misplaced 11 passes and lost seven of his 12 duels.

This performance ultimately earned the centre-back, who has been previously described as an “assassin” by former Baggies manager Slaven Bilic, an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.5/10 from SofaScore, making him the joint-lowest rated West Brom player on the day alongside Karlan Grant.

Looking ahead to tonight’s match, perhaps it could be the best option for Ismael to take Kipre out of the team so that he doesn’t end up potentially costing the Baggies the game, especially when they could really do with a win to keep them in the race for promotion by the end of the campaign.

In terms of who Ismael could utilise instead of Kipre tonight to help Albion to another clean sheet, perhaps it could be the right time for Semi Ajayi to come back into the team after being an unused substitute for their four previous league games.

In other news: West Brom could soar to promotion by signing this MLS star

Wolves are reportedly interested in signing Rennes midfielder Gaetan Laborde following an eye-catching start to the season for the Ligue 1 club.

The Lowdown: Laborde on fire in France

The 27-year-old has been a key player for Rennes since joining from Montepellier, scoring nine goals in 16 Ligue 1 appearances this season across the board, not to mention registering two assists.

That means Laborde has netted two league goals more than Hwang Hee-chan and Raul Jimenez combined this season, highlighting the influence he has had in the French top flight.

It could be that a quickfire move away from Rennes is on the cards, and Wolves are thought to be interested in snapping him up.

The Latest: Wolves linked with move

That’s according to Homme Du Match [via Sport Witness], who recently described Laborde’s form as ‘breathtaking’ in a report on the player.

His performances are believed to have seen Wolves taking a close interest in the Frenchman, with the report suggesting that they are the front-runners to sign him.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375704”]

The Verdict: Exciting attacking addition

Laborde’s current Rennes deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2025, so it could mean that a hefty fee is required to prise him away from his current club.

His attacking quality speaks for itself, however, with FBRef comparing his style of play to that of Lille’s Timothy Weah, son of African football legend George. He has averaged 3.5 shots and 1.3 key passes per game achieved in the league so far this season, and he could add another creative dimension to Bruno Lage’s team.

In comparison, Jimenez has the most shots per game for Wolves with 2.1 in 2021/22, while only the Mexican (1.5) and Joao Moutinho (1.4) are playing marginally more key passes at Molineux. Therefore, Laborde would represent a real coup for the Black Country outfit.

In other news, Wolves are thought to be keen on signing a new defender. Find out who it is here.

While things at Wolverhampton Wanderers appear to once again be on the up under the management of Bruno Lage, with the club currently sitting seventh in the Premier League standings, there are nevertheless a number of issues at Molineux that the 45-year-old coach must address in January if his side are to have any hope of qualifying for European football this season.

Indeed, Wolves are incredibly short of options at both centre-back and in central midfield at present, with the latter being a particularly big concern for the club when going forwards.

So far this season, Lage’s side have scored just 12 goals in the top flight – ranking their attack as the second-worst in the league – with Ruben Neves, Leander Dendoncker and Joao Moutinho having scored just one goal and provided one assist between them over their combined 40 Premier League appearances this term.

As such, a move to sign a more attacking option in the middle of the park this January would appear a very wise one indeed, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli potentially being a viable candidate for the West Midlands side.

Dele could solve Wolves’ problem

Speaking on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday (via Birmingham Live) following Wolves’ last gasp defeat to Liverpool last weekend, Paul Merson stated his belief that Dele and Bruno Lage’s side could be something of a match made in heaven.

Discussing the club’s lack of a central midfielder to bomb on and help the Wolves attack, Merson said: “They need someone who is willing to run past [Raul] Jimenez and that might cause problems. Neves, Moutinho – they’re players who spray the ball left and right.

“They need someone who will run, [someone who] might cause problems. At the moment they don’t really look like scoring – 12 in 15 games, that’s not good enough. They need a midfield player who is going to nick a few goals.

“You know what? That might be Dele Alli. If you can get Dele Alli to another club and he can get his mojo back, he might be the answer for them.”

Indeed, with Dele having played just two minutes of Premier League football since Antonio Conte’s arrival in North London, the possibility of the attacking midfielder being available on the market this January would appear a very real one.

And, while it is true that the £27m-rated man has been far from his best in recent seasons, should Lage be able to help the former England international refind his previously exceptional level of form after a potential switch to Molineux, Merson could well be proven right in claiming that the 25-year-old may be the answer to the Portuguese manager’s goalscoring woes.

Indeed, over his 37 Premier League outings back in 2016/17, Dele scored a whopping 18 goals, registered seven assists and created five big chances for his teammates, with these returns seeing the £100k-per-week midfielder earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.04.

As such, as long as Lage is confident that he could indeed get the player who Darren Anderton dubbed a “freak of a talent” back to this level, a move for Dele this winter could well prove to be an extremely smart move by Fosun and Jeff Shi – as well as one which allows Morgan Gibbs-White to continue his development on loan at Sheffield United, rather than recalling the 21-year-old as has been mooted.

In other news: Wolves dealt potentially huge injury blow ahead of Man City, fans would be gutted

Lots of Everton fans have been left reacting to some more transfer news that has emerged on Lucas Digne.

Reports this week linked the France international with a move to Italy, and now Fichajes report that Diego Simeone is interested in signing the left-back for Atletico Madrid, after Digne reportedly had a row with Rafa Benitez, which saw him dropped for their 2-1 win at home to Arsenal on Monday night.

Admittedly, Digne has not performed to the best that he can this season so far, recording no assists in the Premier League this season compared to the seven that he made last term (WhoScored).

However, he remains the Goodison Park faithful’s only senior left-back available in the squad, and so Benitez looks to have a big decision to make in the January transfer window.

Nonetheless, given the sheer number of assists that he has supplied for the Merseyside club since signing, it may be time to patch things up.

Everton fans on Digne transfer news

These Toffees supporters seemed split as the exit rumour was shared on Twitter:

“Says everything the level of club that would be looking at him. Rafa is mad.”

Credit: @followeverton

“Benitez actually gonna sell our only recognised LB mid-season”

Credit: @Tom_A72

“Brilliant 3 better teams monitoring him, well that’s him gone in the summer. Another masterstroke thanks Rafa, born genius”

Credit: @kevin84734358

“28 – his game is better going forward than defending and injuries and knocks catching up with him – sell.”

Credit: @chr509740634

“Digne for Trippier I’ll be happy”

Credit: @zMxstyy

“I still like Digne. Been a great signing for us all those years but if we got £40 million for him I hope we’re all over it. That’s the type of money we need to rebuild and to send FFP away”

Credit: @bluetom_tom

In other news, find out whose return ahead of Crystal Palace has Blues fuming here!

Manchester United and Leeds United both want to bring Ruben Amorim to the Premier League.

That’s according to reports recently relayed by The Express [via TEAMtalk], and as to be expected, a number of Man United fans have been reacting to the links via social media.

Ralf Rangnick has been brought in by the Red Devils in interim charge until the end of the season, when he will then move into a two-year advisory role.

The likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag have been linked with a move to Manchester in 2022, but it now seems as if Amorim is also in United’s thoughts, with the Red Devils keen on the fledgling coach, according to The Express.

The 36-year-old is currently in charge of Sporting Lisbon, guiding them into the Champions League last 16, and has averaged over two points per game in each of his three managerial positions. Amorim has a £25.4m release clause, with Leeds also keen on the Portuguese coach as a possible replacement for Marcelo Bielsa.

United fans react

Well-known Twitter channel The United Stand asked their followers if they would like to see Amorim at Old Trafford following the links. Here is what these United supporters had to say in reply…

“This is crazy”

Credit: @thahala_moses

“We can have our own Naglesmann you.. Am excited already…”

Credit: @incredible_mua

“If he beat Pep then yesssssss. I trust every guy coming from Lisbon”

Credit: @Vbj38864507

“Yessss”

Credit: @DianeMo68212313

“Class manager”

Credit: @UCLVarane4

“To everyone asking who he is, I’ll say it. He’s the best manager in Portugal, have to admit. He was in a weak Braga and was destroying everyone and placing 3rd (amazing). He was bought by sporting and in his first year won the Liga NOS (Sporting had not won since 2002[sic]).”

Credit: @alves_115

In other news: ‘Next joke please’ – These Man United fans fume as exit rumour emerges

The ongoing rumoured feud between Rafa Benitez and Lucas Digne at Everton has further encouraged more rumours to develop surrounding the left back’s future at Goodison Park, especially with the transfer window opening in a few days time.

What’s the word?

According to Italian news outlet, TuttoJuve, Juventus could offer a swap deal of Aaron Ramsey to Everton in exchange for Digne during the January transfer window.

However, according to the report this would only be a short term loan until the end of the season, to help Juventus to cover their position for the rest of the season and get the Welshman’s salary off the wage bill at the Italian club.

Ramsey can’t get into the Juventus team with just two appearances in the Serie A this season so far, with the club making it no secret that they are interested in offers for the 31-year-old, who is currently on a whopping £175K a week.

Digne has now not featured in the last three games for Everton, with Benitez asked recently in a press conference if he believes that the 28-year-old was ill after he pulled out of the squad last minute, the Toffees boss responded;

“It is not that I believe or not,”

“I have been in football for so many years and I have so many experiences similar to this one and it is a question of making a decision.

“I have to be sure that the players that will be there tomorrow want to be there and they want to fight for the club and that’s it.”

Is it the right move?

There is no doubt that Ramsey has talent, and when he is not injured, he has proven at the clubs he has played at that he can offer performances at the highest level, playing in the Champions League for both Arsenal and Juventus with 78 appearances in the competition over his career, however, if it is at the cost of losing Digne it may not be worth it.

Digne has been with Everton since the Summer of 2018 when he joined the club from Barcelona and has since offered 127 appearances, six goals and an impressive 20 assists from his full-back position so far, with Gary Lineker taking to his Twitter account back in 2019 to praise the £27M-rated gem hailing him “quality”;

“What an excellent signing Lucas Digne has been for @Everton. Quality fullback. 👍🏻”

With that being said, a loan deal could be beneficial for Digne’s long term future with the Merseyside club, if he could go away keeping up match fitness with another team, whilst allowing his rumoured feud with Benitez to cool down, going into pre-season in the Summer of 2022 back with Everton, with the opportunity of a fresh start.

In other news: Rafa Benitez struck gold with Demarai Gray