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David Sullivan will not solve David Moyes’ offensive woes by luring Montpellier HSC striker Gaetan Laborde to West Ham United in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, the Irons have been handed a huge boost in their efforts to sign Laborde as the financial implications of the global pandemic has left the Ligue 1 outfit chasing income this winter.

President Laurent Nicollin has confirmed the Stade de la Mosson natives are facing debts of €20m to €25million (£18.2m to £22.8m) after failing to make any sales in the summer, while playing games behind closed doors is causing further losses of €500,000 (£456.4k) a match.

As such, Nicollin may have to accept cut-priced offers for some of manager Michel Der Zakarian favoured players, including Laborde, who is now said to be available for €12million (£10.95m) amid interest from both West Ham and Newcastle United.

Both Premier League sides are understood to have scouted Laborde throughout the current Ligue 1 campaign after showing an interest in the summer, with the 26-year-old striking three goals and five assists in 13 top-flight fixtures.

Not the answer

While Laborde has brought a creative touch to Zakarian’s offence this term, the former France U20 international has only struck once in his last 11 league appearances and boasts just 21 goals in 84 games across all competitions for Montpellier since signing in 2018.

Moyes is in need of offensive reinforcements in the winter market with Michail Antonio sidelined again with a hamstring injury, while doubt lingers over Sebastien Haller’s future at the London Stadium after reportedly leaving the Scot underwhelmed.

The West Ham boss was at his wits end following Saturday’s defeat at home to Manchester United with his players being so wasteful in the final third, believing the Irons let the game slip away after enjoying a period of dominance throughout the first half.

“I thought the biggest thing tonight was that we had a great chance to go two or three up, maybe even more. We played really well but we didn’t kill it off when we had the chance to do so, show a clinical edge to our finishing or our final pass which was needed. I think that was what cost us tonight,” said Moyes after the game, via football.london.

Laborde would not be the answer to Moyes’ woes as while he could be available for little at £10.95m, the 5 ft 11 centre-forward is relentlessly wasteful with his chances.

Across his 13 Ligue 1 appearances this season, of which he has started each, Laborde has averaged 2.4 shots a game yet has scored just 0.2 times a game while missing three big chances to find the back of the net, per SofaScore.

He only offers 10.9 accurate passes in the opponent’s half of the pitch per game, too, while losing possession 12.2 times, committing 1.8 fouls and losing 66% of his ground duels and 48% of his aerial contests.

Laborde may be cheap, but West Ham would be better served to focus their efforts away from the Stade de la Mosson this winter.

AND in other news, a “powerful” West Ham dud has given David Moyes all the evidence in the world to why he will never be trusted.

When Tim Sherwood brought Jordan Veretout to Aston Villa back in the summer of 2015, he made it very clear just how big of a coup it had been for the club.

He said: “He has played over 140 games in Ligue 1 and is a really exciting young player. I know Veretout is very highly rated over in France, so we are delighted to get this deal over the line.”

Fast forward a year later, and things had turned upside down at Villa Park, with the club going through a tumultuous period of managerial changes and relegation from the Premier League to boot.

In the end, Veretout was sent out on loan, before sealing a more permanent move away from the club when he joined Serie A side Fiorentina for around £6.25m.

And since then, he has been nothing short of incredible, enjoying a remarkable rise that is now seeing him shine for one of Italian football’s biggest clubs, AS Roma.

This season has seen the £25.2m-rated central midfielder add a bit of a goal-scoring touch to his game, bagging four goals and providing another assist in just eight league games, including netting a brace in a 2-2 draw with Juventus.

The fact is however, that there were those within the inner circle at Villa who valued him very highly indeed. During his lone playing season at the club, caretaker manager Kevin McDonald hailed him, saying: “Jordan is a wonderful passer of the ball. He will get better. And he is looking to impose himself in training games. Now he has to do that over a period of time. If he does that, he will be a very, very good player.

“Glenn Hoddle didn’t have to run up and down the pitch. But he was the most wonderful passer this country had in a long, long time. It’s not about being a holding midfielder or an attacking midfielder – Jordan needs to be a midfielder who gets on the ball more than anybody else in the team.”

Sadly, not everyone seemed to echo those sentiments. A case of niggling injuries didn’t help his cause one bit, but he didn’t even take to the pitch for any of Villa’s last seven Premier League games of the 2015/2016 season, including not even making the match-day squad in four of them.

But the way he is shining now, there must surely be a tinge of regret that they couldn’t keep hold of Veretout or even get to see the best of him at Villa Park.

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti risks repeating the mistakes of Ronald Koeman by signing Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Goodison Park natives are one of several clubs to have recently scouted Kamara ahead of the January transfer window as sides begin stepping up their interest.

Dinamo Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv are both understood to have approached Rangers to express their interest, while Burnley, Brighton, Brentford, Newcastle and Sheffield United have also made checks.

Everton scouts have now joined the clutch of European sides to have descended on Ibrox, with Blues staff sitting alongside those from Southampton, AS Monaco, LOSC Lille and Borussia Dortmund in monitoring the Finland international’s progress.

Gers boss Steven Gerrard is loath to lose the midfielder he acquired for a nominal £50,000 from Dundee in 2019, and is pushing the Premiership giants to tie Kamara down to a long-term deal despite his current terms running until 2023.

Gerrard sees Kamara as a key chess piece to his tactics and would already have rushed through talks over a new contract if the decision was solely his.

“If it was my decision the answer would be yes,” he told reporters last week, via quotes by the Daily Mail. “I’ve made my feelings known to Ross [Wilson, the Sporting Director] and the board on that situation.

“Glen has been fantastic for me since day one. He’s grown and he’s evolved. He’s improved and he’s listened. He was superb at the weekend [against Celtic] but for me he has been really consistent for much longer than that.”

Schneiderlin 2.0?

Kamara was lauded for running the show in Rangers’ Old Firm Derby win over bitter rivals Celtic earlier this month, with Gers icon Neil Murray telling The Scottish Sun: “Kamara was excellent at the weekend and he really is an intelligent footballer. He has so much ability on the ball.”

And while Gerrard is likewise full of praise for the player Kamara has become over his 69 appearances for Rangers, the 25-year-old is not the type of player Ancelotti should be looking to lure to Goodison Park.

The 24-cap international often sees a lot of the ball at Ibrox with an average of 81 touches per Premiership appearance this season, but frequently fails to use that or his 66.7 accurate passes (92%) to good effect with just 0.9 key balls and 0.3 shots, per SofaScore.

He also does not attempt to draw the flow of play forward with just 0.7 successful dribbles (70%) a match, while offering little defensively with 0.9 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and 0.6 clearances.

Should Ancelotti strive to acquire Kamara, the Italian would seemingly just be repeating the errors of Koeman in the Dutchman’s £24million deal to sign Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United.

Schneiderlin was frequently questioned for his relentless sideways and backwards passing or for attempting to force balls through to players that were heavily marked, and that is something that Kamara would likely bring back to Goodison Park.

Ancelotti currently has options who rather look to bring play forward in Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes, with the trio playing 23, 45 and 36 accurate passes in the final third during Premier League games respectively this season and 89, 112 and 76 passes in the opponent’s half, per SofaScore.

Kamara, then, would be a step back rather than forward if he is signed, much like the play he would bring to Merseyside.

AND in other news, Everton must secure a January loan move for a talented ace in the “mould of Makelele”.

Leeds United’s transfer business may not be over yet.

Indeed, the Whites still seem to be in the market for a new attacking midfielder with links to Louie Sibley making headlines this week.

However, we can’t quite understand why Leeds are in the market for Sibley.

There’s no doubting that he’s an exciting talent, after all he burst onto the scene at Derby with five goals in 11 games last season. But is he any better than what Leeds already have?

Tyler Roberts is already making a mark in that position, appearing in every single one of Leeds’ Premier League games so far, and while it could be argued that Sibley has a higher ceiling being two years younger, he hasn’t proven himself over a long period of time.

How many players burst onto the scene and ride the crest of a wave while their confidence is flying high only to flop later down the line? Leeds have seen this themselves only recently with Jack Clarke’s form taking a nosedive after his £10m move to Tottenham last year, with the winger failing to break into the QPR team during an ill-fated loan spell. With Sibley only having 14 senior league appearances to his name, bringing him in would be a gamble.

Roberts on the other hand, has been producing the goods for a number of years at this point, and now he even has a few Premier League appearances under his belt, and it’s fair to say that he hasn’t looked out of place in the top-flight so far, with Bielsa impressed enough to give him a run out in every single league match this season.

The manager is seemingly a big fan of Roberts as well, speaking about him after the Whites’ win against Sheffield United saying:

“I think as the season goes on he will be able to show the undoubted qualities he has.”

Those quotes certainly make it seem as though the Welshman is a part of Bielsa’s plans this season, so it doesn’t seem like Sibley would be a necessary signing.

United would be better off developing the players already at the club rather than splashing out on an unproven youngster.

A couple of years back, Liverpool were on Jeremy Doku’s tail but in the end, the transfer didn’t happen and for a while, the rumours have gone quiet on that front. However, it seems that Jurgen Klopp could be back to finish what he started in 2018.

According to a recent update from Het Nieuwsblad (via Sport Witness), the Reds have renewed their interest in the 18-year-old star and could indeed be looking to acquire his services in the ongoing summer transfer window.

However, even if they manage to get him, which at this point is not exactly a guaranteed operation, they would then be willing to loan him back to Anderlecht for the upcoming season.

That way, the youngster could still develop and play regularly while he waits for his real opportunity at Anfield. But the same source states Vincent Kompany’s side are aware of the interest but are not exactly thrilled about it.

Ideally, they don’t want to sell their rough gem but given the current financial situation at the club, every player could indeed be moved on for the right place, Doku included.

But in case of the young star, the report states it would have to be a bid in tens of millions – so not exactly cheap for such a young player.

We don’t know how strong Klopp’s interest is but the Reds are adamant on not spending too much money this summer. Would they be willing to make an exception for the Belgium ace?

Only time will tell.

Verdict

With eight goals and three assists across all competitions in 2019/20, Doku has certainly been on fire. So it doesn’t exactly come as a big surprise to see clubs like Liverpool wanting to take him to the Premier League.

But Anderlecht would also love to keep him. After all, he’s a huge asset for them.

Needless to say, this could complicate the situation for the Reds.

Bundesliga side Werder Bremen have urged Milot Rashica to make a decision over his future after being linked with a move to Aston Villa.

With the summer transfer window open, Villa boss Dean Smith could look to improve his squad options, in particular in attack where the likes of Keinan Davis, Mbwana Samatta and Wesley have all struggled to find consistent form.

With transfer gossip flooding the internet, Brentford striker Ollie Watkins has emerged as a potential arrival, whilst a link to Rashica has been heavily maintained.

The 24-year-old netted eight goals and supplied seven assists in 28 Bundesliga games for Bremen last season and has a current Transfermarkt value of £19.8m.

With interest reported from Villa, Bremen boss Kohfeldt provided an update on the attacker’s future and the German club have now urged the attacker to make a decision on his future.

Reacting to the news which was shared by Twitter account @AVFC_News, some Villa fans gave their opinion on the ongoing rumour surrounding the attacker. Whilst some want him to sign, given his impressive stats from last term, others aren’t as keen as they think he is holding out for a potentially bigger move, suggesting he doesn’t really want to join the Villans.

Do you think Rashica would be a good signing for Villa? Let us know in the comments section below…

Tottenham Hotspur are close to completing a deal for Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer, according to reports.Â

According to Fabrizio Romano, as relayed by Ricky Sacks, theÂ33-cap Denmark international is now ‘one step away’ from leaving St Mary’s for Spurs.

Romano revealed that the two clubs have to sort out the last few details but claimed that a deal is almost done.

Once both sides have reached an agreement, Hojbjerg will be able to complete his transfer to north London. Spurs have agreed to spend £15m for the Danish midfielder, who has one year remaining on his current contract.

The Lilywhites have been leading the race to sign Jose Mourinho’s top target for several months and it appears that the manager is close to getting his wish in the transfer window after The Telegraph revealed that progress has been made in talks between the two clubs.

Southampton received a bid from Everton but the ex-Bayern Munich ace made it clear that he would prefer a move to Spurs for the opportunity to work with head coach Mourinho.

Personal terms are not expected to be a problem and he is set to sign a new deal with the north London club in the coming days.

Inter Milan are still interested in signing Tanguy Ndombele despite Daniel Levy’s insistence that the club’s record signing is not for sale and they are believed to be working behind the scenes to try to sort out a deal.

However, everything hangs in the balance as whether or not Inter will make an official bid depends entirely on Antonio Conte’s future at the San Siro.

Hojbjerg’s imminent arrival is bound to cause upheaval as Spurs could see a changing of the guard, with Kyle Walker-Peters poised to head in the opposite direction, and Harry Winks seemingly set for a shock exit.

The Dane should be an upgrade on the midfield options available to Mourinho at the moment, as he received a higher WhoScored rating than Winks last term. Furthermore, he will cost a fraction of the price for which the Saints were originally asking, so this looks like quite a coup from Tottenham.

Tottenham fans, do you think Hojbjerg will be a good coup if the deal is completed? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Charlton Athletic have emerged with interest in Love Island star Dennon Lewis, who has previously been linked with a move to Sunderland.

With seven players having already left the Stadium of Light, it is expected that boss Phil Parkinson will welcome a variety of new faces to the club and Lewis was linked with a move to the League One club earlier this year.

The Sun reported that Parkinson had joined a whole host of clubs with interest in Lewis, who shot to fame after appearing on the 2019 summer edition of Love Island, where he was dumped after just four days.

Sunderland join the likes of Huddersfield, Oxford United, Leyton Orient and favourites to sign the forward, Charlton Athletic, who are now said to have pushed forward with their interest.

Lewis netted an impressive 14 goals and provided 11 assists during the 2019/2020 season which ultimately helped Wealdstone clinch the National League South title.

The 23-year-old initially began his footballing career with Championship side Watford before having spells with Woking, Crawley Town, Falkirk and Bromley.

The Sun report Charlton are now ready to make a solid move for the attacker as they look to beat off interest from elsewhere.

Quite whether or not Lewis is ready for the step-up to England’s third tier remains to be seen but he has gained plenty of interest after his non-league performances.

Sunderland are in desperate need of some new attacking options and Phil Parkinson must look to bring in some new faces soon. If the package to sign him isn’t much, he may be a gamble worth taking for the Wearside club given his form last term.

Do you think Sunderland should make a move for Lewis? Let us know in the comments section below…

Speaking to Football.London, Jermaine Jenas has urged Tottenham to strengthen at full-back this summer.

What did he say?

With one game remaining in the Premier League, the north London side can still qualify for the Europa League next season, provided they get a result against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

And with Jose Mourinho no doubt keen on shaping this squad in his own image, Jenas believes that bringing in two dynamic full-backs could drastically change how Spurs perform on the pitch.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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He said: “I personally would be looking at two full-backs if I was Jose. If that’s all the money I have to spend this summer, that’s where I’d spend it because I’d be saying I’ve got Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen, give him at least until January or next year, and then I could start working on my defence.

“They need more security in the wider areas, something a little bit stronger and on the front foot to cause problems. At the minute they don’t have that in those areas and that is where I’d start. I do think that would change Tottenham and their style of play drastically if they get two new full-backs. Spurs don’t have anywhere near enough quality or the dynamic element that they need in the league right now. That’s where I would start right now.”

Transformation

When Spurs were in their pomp under Mauricio Pochettino, both Kyle Walker and Danny Rose offered the Lilywhites the kind of attacking intent that made them such an exciting team to watch.

The pace, the overlapping runs, the dangerous deliveries into the area. It’s things they have well and truly lost in these past couple of years, and as Jenas points out, there’s a major absence in quality in the full-back positions at Spurs.

You only have to look at Premier League champions Liverpool to just see the kind of effect two world-class full-backs can have on a team, with both Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold providing a shed-load of assists between them – this season alone has seen them combine for 26 assists across all competitions.

So whilst on the surface, claiming that he would invest all of his money on two full-backs seems like a strange thing to say, Jenas certainly has somewhat of a point.

Chelsea will look to continue their mission for Champions League football next season as they take on Crystal Palace this evening.

The Blues bounced back from their shock 3-2 defeat to West Ham last week with a 3-0 win over Watford at the weekend. Olivier Giroud, Willian and Ross Barkley were all on the scoresheet against the Hornets to take their side one step closer to securing a top four finish.

Manchester United are also in fine form and have narrowed the gap between them and Chelsea to just two points. Frank Lampard’s side must keep up with their top four rivals if they want to avoid slipping into Europa League territory.

Transfer Tavern has predicted how the Blues might line up against the Eagles this evening…

Giroud should undoubtedly keep his starting position up front after scoring two goals since the Premier League restarted. He also netted Chelsea’s winning goal in their first match back against Aston Villa (via Sofascore). His accompanying wingers should also remain the same, with both Willian and Christian Pulisic impressing since the restart.

Barkley will likely keep his midfield position after scoring against Watford but Jorginho will operate in the deeper role to help fend off any unexpected attacks from Palace. Regular starter N’Golo Kante was forced off the pitch on Saturday with a hamstring injury.

Mason Mount earned a disappointing 6.5 Sofascore rating against the Hornets, which was the lowest score from the starting XI by far. Lampard may opt to switch up the attacking midfield combination and bring in Ruben Loftus-Cheek instead.

From last Saturday’s clash at Stamford Bridge, two changes could take place in defence, seeing Antonio Rudiger come in to replace Andreas Christensen in order to alternate between resting up key players. Furthermore, Marcos Alonso may replace youngster Reece James to add more seniority to the backline.

How do you think Lampard will set up against Crystal Palace tonight, Blues? Have your say in the comments below…