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West Ham United must start Marko Arnautovic when they face Fulham this weekend.

The Hammers have not tasted victory in any of their previous five games, though they did hold Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium on February 4th.

On the chalkboard

Arnautovic has enjoyed some truly excellent form this season, scoring a total of seven goals in 18 appearances in the Premier League.

He has, however, failed to score in his last three outings since a flirtation with a transfer to China.

Manuel Pellegrini gave the Austria international the chance to start against Wolves but he struggled before picking up an injury that ruled him out of the clash with Liverpool.

Following that 1-1 draw, Arnautovic played just 22 minutes against Crystal Palace.

Now, then, is the time for West Ham to trust again and give the striker the chance to play from the outset against Fulham.

Indeed, the Irons have lost just twice in the Premier League this season when Arnautovic has scored – to Arsenal and AFC Bournemouth.

The Irons are currently 10th in the table but they appear somewhat rudderless. They are not in danger of relegation but they are also six points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s impressive Wolves, who sit seventh and occupy the final Europa League qualification spot.

Having Arnautovic back in the team would go a long way to reigniting a fire under Pellegrini’s men.

Time to prove worth

Football FanCast reported earlier this month that Arnautovic and West Ham have agreed on one specific compromise in the striker’s new contract. The deal includes a clause that will allow the 29-year-old to leave if a bid worth £45m is tabled in the summer.

However, if he is to be the subject of any bids in the summer, he is going to have to prove his worth between now and the end of the season.

It could be a win-win for the Hammers. They could bring Arnautovic back into the fold, he could score the goals to propel the club up the table, and then there could be a major influx of cash for Pellegrini to spend in the summer.

Starting the Austrian against Fulham could be the start of a long-term strategy and would go a long way to ensuring the Irons pick up three vital points.

Indeed, Fulham are 19th and have conceded a total of 58 goals, 10 more than rock-bottom Huddersfield Town.

Arnautovic will surely be licking his lips.

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has one of his biggest tests ahead of him this weekend as the latest Old Firm Derby is set to take place on Sunday afternoon at Ibrox.The Gers head into the showdown three points behind their rivals, meaning that a win for the home side would see them draw level at the top of the SPFL table.Heading into this big clash after the latest international break finally comes to an end, it seems as though a clue has emerged over what Van Bronckhorst’s starting XI could look like to take on the Hoops.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s match on the Go Football Radio Show (via Football.Scotland), Barry Ferguson had this to say on which midfield players he thinks Van Bronckhorst will select to start.

He said: “I think he’ll go with [Ryan] Jack, [John] Lundstram and Glen Kamara. The simple fact is that’s the area with Celtic, where you can’t let Callum McGregor dictate the play.”

While Kamara and Lundstram have started 40 league games between them in this campaign, the fact that Jack has only started three games this season and only earned himself an overall performance rating of 6.56 from WhoScored may not please too many Rangers fans to see him start.

As Ferguson mentioned, if Van Bronckhorst’s main aim is to be defensive and control the midfield to stop Celtic from attacking, then starting Jack could be the right move.

However, with the Gers needing to secure three points more than anything, the fans would presumably like to see their side attack their opponents and do all they can to win the game, meaning that if they were to see their manager take an overly-defensive stance when it comes to making his starting XI, it could anger the Ibrox faithful, especially if they don’t end up winning.

Therefore, even though regular game time hasn’t been easy for him to come by since his arrival, it could be worth giving Aaron Ramsey the chance to shine in what would be his first Old Firm Derby. In just six appearances he’s managed to score a goal and provide an assist, which is something that Jack hasn’t been able to do all season.

Also, with just three league games under his belt, the Welshman has managed to rack up an average of two shots per game, showing just how much of an attacking asset he can be, which could well end up being the difference between a win and any other result for Rangers this weekend.

In other news: GVB receives major boost after Rangers submit bid to sign “excellent” £5.9k-p/w titan

Tottenham Hotspur could dip their toes into the Championship before the January transfer window deadline on Monday night…

What’s the word?

According to HullLive, the north London outfit are preparing a ‘big-money’ bid for versatile Hull City attacker Keane Lewis-Potter, who has been subject to a bid from Brentford and interest from rivals West Ham United in the past.

It’s believed that any move from Spurs would see the 20-year-old gem loaned back to the Tigers for the remainder of the season, whilst manager Antonio Conte was one of a number of managers to have sent scouts to watch him in recent games.

Hull City are expected to hold out for at least £14m and their new Turkish owner Acun Ilicali isn’t keen to sell, especially as his value will only increase with time.

Shades of Eden Hazard

Whilst this potential signing isn’t going to provide Conte with an instant addition or the fans much excitement this month, it would be a very wise long-term investment.

The 5 foot 7 winger has been in solid form for the Championship strugglers, leading the way for goals scored (five) and he isn’t too far behind in terms of creativity, having managed three assists and an average of one key pass per game, via WhoScored.

Primarily a left-sided attacker, Lewis-Potter is capable of playing in a variety of roles – indeed, he’s played in five different positions this season alone, which includes upfront and on the other flank.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-thfc-spurs-transfer-rumours-gossip-conte-paratici-levy-updates” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Conte loves to make the most of a player’s versatility but in the Hull City gem, he could well discover his new Eden Hazard.

“I’ve seen some players that are playing in the Premier League now who I don’t believe are as good as Keane is,” Tigers youth coach Craig Fagan told The Athletic last month. He later added:

“Keane is maybe more athletic, maybe technically has a few more tricks in the bag than Jarrod. He’s similar to how Eden Hazard plays, with that low centre of gravity, coming inside and shooting. He’s not as good as Hazard by any stretch of the imagination at this point but he’s got the skills and abilities to be striving towards that.”

Spurs have certainly had a mixed bag of success when it comes to lower league signings, with the likes of Jack Clarke and Joe Rodon perhaps erring on the side of disappointment but for every one of those there is a Dele Alli, for example.

Lewis-Potter, who has also been dubbed a “special talent” by his former boss Grant McCann, isn’t going to drastically change Spurs’ fortunes in the race for a top-four finish but under Conte’s stewardship, he could well become a future first-team star.

You only have to look at the success of Jarrod Bowen at West Ham to see why this risk might be one worth taking.

Conte could well have a new Hazard in the coming years, should Fabio Paratici and co seal a move for the promising EFL sensation before Monday night’s deadline.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Dele: Spurs plot swoop for £18m-rated “extraordinary talent” who’s like Zidane…

Leeds United reportedly have the funds available to sign Cagliari and Uruguay midfielder Nahitan Nandez in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Constant Leeds links

Few players, if any, have been linked with the Whites more intensely than Nandez, with the 26-year-old endlessly tipped to move to Elland Road in recent months.

The 49-cap Uruguay international has been a key figure for Cagliari since joining from Boca Juniors in 2019, making 88 appearances to date for the Sardinian club.

A January exit looks possible for Nandez, though, and Leeds have again been boosted in their efforts to sign him.

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The Latest: Fresh update emerges

According to Cagliari News 24 [via Sport Witness], the Whites have the ‘necessary liquidity’ to get a deal over the line, even though they are yet to submit an offer for him.

Torino don’t want to pay the €25m (£20.8m) that Cagliari want for Nandez’s services, acting as a further positive for Leeds.

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The Verdict: Perfect January signing

With Kalvin Phillips out injured until at least March, it is essential that the Whites bring in at least one midfielder this month in order to fill the void left by arguably their most important player, as well as bolstering an area of the squad where they are rather light.

Of all the midfielders to have been linked with Leeds, Nandez arguably looks the most tailor-made to come in and be a hugely successful signing, with plenty of high-level experience down the years but also the prime period of his career possibly ahead of him still at the age of 26.

Nandez has chipped in with two assists and averaged 1.5 dribbles per game in Serie A this season, showing he possesses creativity, not to mention winning 2.4 aerial duels and two tackles per match.

The Uruguayan is also renowned for his tremendous work rate, a quality which will surely endear him to the infamously demanding Marcelo Bielsa, so that is why he could be perfect for Leeds.

In other news, one Leeds player has been linked with a move to a big-name club. Find out who it is here.

Rangers could lose ‘a lot of experience’ this summer, with Allan McGregor, Connor Goldson and Steven Davis all poised to leave. 

That’s according to Jordan Campbell, the club’s correspondent for The Athletic.

The lowdown

As it stands, the trio will all be out of contract come 31 May. McGregor and Davis have both had two spells at Ibrox and now boast 421 and 333 appearances respectively for the club.

They’re also heavily decorated – the former has won 12 trophies at Ibrox in addition to the Player of the Year award in 2020/21, while the latter has won seven (and been named POTY twice).

Goldson, meanwhile, joined from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2018 and has featured 198 times.

The Englishman was a huge part of the squad that ended Celtic’s run of nine consecutive titles last season.

The latest

Campbell writes that McGregor, Goldson and Davis are ‘set to leave at the end of their contracts’.

He does, however, adopt a more optimistic tone on Leon Balogun and Scott Arfield, whose deals are both up at the end of the season too.

The hope is that securing extensions for those two ‘would offer some continuity’.

The verdict

McGregor, aged 40, and Davis, 37, are very much veterans. That’s reflected in their sub-£1million Transfermarkt valuations of £450,000 and £900,000.

Even if they were to stay, you’d imagine they’d only be signing a short-term extension, with retirement on the horizon.

But £7.2million-rated Goldson is yet to turn 30, and is seemingly on his way out during his prime years. Indeed, he’s attracting interest from the likes of West Ham United in the English Premier League.

He may not have claim to legendary status like the other two, but you could argue his departure will hurt the most.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has some information for Rangers fans.

Everton have made two signings already during this transfer window, with Rafa Benitez not holding back on getting his business at the club done early, but the two incoming additions are not the biggest story at the Merseyside club, with a potential outgoing stealing the headlines.

What’s the word?

News Editor, Alan Myers, has taken to Twitter to claim that a number of Premier League clubs are interested in signing Everton’s Lucas Digne.

Tweeting last night he revealed:

“Chelsea, Newcastle, West Ham and an as yet unnamed fourth Premier League club, are interested in Everton left back Lucas Digne.”

“Napoli are also interested in the £30M rated defender, though the Italian club are only interested in a loan deal with an option to buy.”

It was reported by ESPN last week, that Everton are not interested in a loan deal for the left-back, which was initially rumoured to be the likeliest scenario for the player to join Chelsea to cover their injury issues in the position short term, but now the report suggests that the Toffees want at least £25m for him, with no option for a loan.

Fans will be fuming

Everton fans will surely be fuming at the prospect of the player going to another Premier League club, especially West Ham and Newcastle who are likely to rival the Merseyside club for positions in the league.

Digne had become a fan favourite at the club, with many supporters taking to social media to criticise the decision to sell the frozen out left-back to another Premier League team.

One Toffees fan tweeted;

“Be fuming if Digne goes to another prem team. Just another reason to hate Rafa #RAFAOUT.”

Indeed, it’s easy to see why they’re so livid. The £110k-per-week defender has made 127 appearances for the club, offering up six goals and 20 assists from his defensive position, becoming a senior member of the team.

Thus, losing his quality and experience at the club when they are in this vulnerable phase, struggling to pick up points with only five wins from 18 games, is a huge risk for Benitez.

The Spanish manager has signed a left-back already over the last few days, Vitaliy Mykolenko has joined from Dynamo Kyiv, but with the lack of Premier League experience and his lack of connection with the defensive line at the Toffees due to only joining the team this week, it shouldn’t be expected for the Ukrainian to make an instant impact.

Everton have no room for error at this point in the season, and disjointing the team by selling key players, puts the manager at potential risk of costing the side more points in the league, only further fuelling fans to turn against him.

In other news: Rafa Benitez interested in Omar Colley switch

Rangers are back in Premiership action today with a home clash against Dundee in their latest push for the league title.

Looking beyond today’s match, it seems as though the club have been handed a fresh injury boost which will surely have a lot of fans buzzing.

What’s the news?

Speaking ahead of the clash against Dundee this afternoon, Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed that Leon Balogun will train with the squad on Sunday after missing their two previous league games and should be back ‘soon’.

The 33-year-old defender has played 18 games across all competitions so far this season, which shows just how important he is for the team and why having him back in training again will be such a big positive for the Gers.

Averaging 3.3 clearances, 1.8 tackles and 1.4 interceptions in the league this term along with winning 64% of his duels, Balogun’s overall league performances have earned him a season rating of 7.06/10, making him Rangers’ fifth-highest rated player in 2021/22 according to WhoScored.

Since joining the club in 2020 on a free transfer from Wigan Athletic, the defender – who is currently valued at £720k by Transfermarkt – has made 46 appearances for Rangers across all competitions, with one goal and three assists to his name for the club.

Moving forward, if Rangers can secure a win today and then have the Nigerian back to full fitness and staying fit for the rest of the season, it could give the team a great chance of securing the title once again in 2022.

Looking even further down the line, with Balogun’s current contract at Ibrox set to expire at the end of the season, it’ll be intriguing to see whether or not the club decide to offer him a new deal to keep him in their squad for a little bit longer.

Taking into account his performances this season and his evident defensive abilities, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they were to offer him a new contract.

In other news: “We understand”: Journalist drops major Rangers transfer update which will leave fans fuming…

When Roy Hodgson ended his four-year spell at Crystal Palace last season, the direction that the club was heading in looked entirely negative.

The Eagles had an ageing squad with a number of contracts expiring and faced the task of replacing the 74-year-old manager, who initially retired and now of course finds himself as Watford boss.

Crystal Palace had it all to do, but delivered in every possible aspect.

The somewhat risky appointment of Patrick Vieira has so far turned out to be astute, whilst the arrivals of Marc Guehi, Joachim Andersen, Michael Olise and Conor Gallagher, to name a few, have been nothing short of sensational.

The latter, Gallagher, has made waves at Selhurst Park this season, scoring eight goals and providing three assists over his 27 top-flight appearances, proving himself as a Premier League starter with real potential under Vieira.

There is a slight downside to this deal though.

The 22-year-old who has been described as “incredible” by his manager is of course on loan from fellow London outfit, Chelsea. And the performances that he has produced in a Palace shirt this season have drastically elevated his price tag.

At the start of his loan, Gallagher was rated at £13.5m, already a dramatic increase from his £4.86m valuation upon his temporary switch to West Bromwich Albion the season prior.

His efforts for Palace this season have enticed the London club to vie for a permanent deal, come the end of the season.

Though, with Thomas Tuchel understood to be a huge admirer of Gallagher, along with competition from a number of other clubs, the permanent capture of Gallagher could now prove difficult for the Eagles.

It is said that a whopping £50m would be just enough to start a conversation for the transfer of the £22.5m-rated midfielder, who is under contract at the Blues until 2025.

With the World Cup just around the corner, the £17k-per-week Gallagher’s future remains uncertain, with some believing his best chance of securing a place in Southgate’s England set-up would be to remain at Selhurst Park.

If that is the case, the 22-year-old could cost Palace a hefty fee, with his quoted £50m price tag sure to leave a nasty taste in the mouths of the Palace faithful.

Indeed, many will be wondering why Palace did not attempt to sign Gallagher on a permanent basis last summer, for what could well have been a fraction of his potential cost at the end of the current campaign.

AND in other news: Crystal Palace eye £5m-rated versatile gem, he’s better than Clyne

Even though Everton are once again in the midst of a search to appoint yet another permanent manager following the sacking of Rafael Benitez, it seems as though the Merseyside club still have eyes on potential player transfers this month.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Foot Mercato (via Sport Witness), Everton are joined by fellow Premier League club West Ham with an interest in signing Chelsea defender Malang Sarr this month.

Since joining the west London club in 2020 on a free transfer from French club Nice, the 22-year-old has gone on to make just nine appearances for Thomas Tuchel’s side across all competitions.

Despite only making two Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season, the centre-back’s performances in those games have earned him an overall season rating of 7.52/10. That makes him the second-highest rated player in their squad this season according to WhoScored, showing that he is more than capable of playing at a decent level in the Premier League.

In terms of a potential move to Everton, with 34 goals conceded in 19 league games this season, it seems as though they could do with having a defender like Sarr – who has been described as being a “strong” and “reliable” player for Chelsea by Tuchel – in their squad to help them stop conceding so often.

Ferguson would love him

If the £5.4m-rated defender were to make a move to Everton this month and manages to hit the ground running, this would surely delight their current caretaker boss Duncan Ferguson and give him some peace of mind regarding their leaky defence.

Also, at just 22 years of age, and with current Toffees defender Yerry Mina being linked with a move away from Goodison Park in recent weeks and also struggling with injuries during his time at the club, Sarr could be a dream long-term replacement for the Colombian on Merseyside.

Moving forward, Everton should definitely make an approach to Chelsea this month to see if they would be willing to negotiate a deal which would see Sarr make the move from Stamford Bridge and give the Toffees a better chance of ending the season without looking nervously over their shoulders.

In other news: Everton must avoid another managerial disaster with “arrogant” 58 y/o, he’d be Rafa 2.0

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left fuming over some early team news that has emerged ahead of their game at home to St. Johnstone tonight.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match in the Scottish Premiership, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has now revealed that he hopes that Ryan Jack will be fully fit ‘after the winter break’, thus ruling him out of the clash and the foreseeable future.

The central midfielder has had real problems with injuries since arriving at Ibrox, and thus never seems to be able to put a consistent run of games together in the SPFL, with 25 the most he has played in one season so far with the Teddy Bears.

Nonetheless, his 19 appearances in the Gers’ title-winning season.

His fitness is now proving to be a real worry for the Light Blues however, giving credence to the thought process that he will never really reach his full potential.

Rangers fans on Jack news

These RFC supporters fumed as the team news was shared on Twitter:

“After the winter break? That has got to be a joke surely? Love the guy and is a great player when he’s fit but need to try cut our loses with him unfortunately”

Credit: @connor_mcgrotty

“Get him gone”

Credit: @Aidan72_

“Reckon I’ve got more chance of being fit after the winter break and I wear 3XL Castore gear.”

Credit: @JDGawa1

“Wow.”

Credit: @Rfc1872I

“His time is up”

Credit: @d____1872

“Sell him or release him please”

Credit: @MKRangers72

In other news, find out which transfer-linked star is happy at Rangers here!