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According to a report by Turkish news outlet Haber 365, there have been some ‘new developments’ surrounding Besiktas forward and West Ham United summer target Cyle Larin.

The Lowdown: West Ham make Larin contact…

Following his head-turning season in the Turkish Super Lig over 2020/2021, West Ham have reportedly been very interested in the possibility of signing Larin for manager David Moyes.

Indeed, as per newspaper Fanatik (via Sport Witness), the Irons were in ‘constant contact’ with both Larin’s representatives and Besiktas over the summer window.

He scored a brilliant 23 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions last year and stood out as a candidate to possibly provide back up to Michail Antonio.

The Latest: Larin eyeing move to England…

Now, as per Haber 365, it appears West Ham may be given a boost if they still wish to sign the prolific and versatile forward.

According to their sources, sharing ‘new developments’ on Larin’s future in Turkey, the Canada international has rejected an offer from Besiktas to extend his stay.

Larin’s current contract runs out in 2022, meaning Besiktas risk losing him on a free deal next summer, leaving little wonder the club want to come to an agreement ‘as soon as possible’.

It is stated that they are aware of the ‘danger of the Premier League’ as their target man could now apparently ‘turn his route to England’ should an attractive offer come in.

They also go on to state that ‘hot developments’ are soon expected regarding the Larin’s future.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Given the player’s contract situation and prolific goalscoring record, bagging a career total of 88 so far, Larin could be the ideal man to provide cover for Antonio – especially considering he can play in the centre-forward role as well as his natural place out wide.

Financially, it is a deal West Ham are more than capable of doing on a free transfer due to his contract situation, or potentially even forcing Besiktas to sell for a lower fee in January.

At 26-years-old, he’s scored an impressive 20 goals in 42 international caps for Canada – showcasing he can also perform on the very biggest stages outside of Turkey.

If West Ham end up being the team to make that ‘attractive offer’ and lure Larin to England, it’s a transfer they may not regret.

In other news: ‘Already going on…’ – Major West Ham update as ‘preliminary talks’ come to light, find out more here.

Speaking to West Ham Zone, former Irons striker Frank McAvennie has shared what he’s ‘heard’ about Man United forward and linked star Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: West Ham attempt Lingard signing…

It is no secret that the Hammers and manager David Moyes wanted to re-sign Lingard after his sensational stint on loan at the London Stadium last season.

The 28-year-old, branded ‘phenomenal’ by talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham, scored nine goals and assisted four others in just 16 Premier League starts for West Ham last campaign (WhoScored).

Alas, Lingard chose not to relocate down south from Old Trafford but reports post-transfer window have suggested West Ham could still return in January – with the club apparently set to maintain a ‘dialogue’ behind the scenes according to Football Insider.

The Latest: McAvennie makes Lingard claim…

Speaking to WHZ, McAvennie has now shared what he’s ‘heard’ whilst sending a bold West Ham transfer message – avoid bringing him back at all costs.

“They’re [Manchester United] not giving Lingard a new contract I heard,” the former Irons favourite explained.

“Brilliant isn’t it, he’s blown it.

“Listen, I hope West Ham don’t take him back. We knew he wasn’t getting a game. It’s not for me. I liked him, I wanted him, he was a breath of fresh air.

“[But] The bottom line is he’s blown his chance. Did he honestly think he was going to go and get a game with [Cristiano] Ronaldo and all of that lot?

“I saw it coming. It’s going to cost him his England place.”

The Verdict: Correct call?

We believe West Ham should, at the very least, contemplate returning for him in January – especially considering the Red Devils could offload for as little as £15m due to his contract situation – which currently expires in 2022.

Despite the Irons signing Nikola Vlasic in the summer, Moyes will need plenty of options in the attacking areas if he is to maintain West Ham’s excellent 2021/2022 start.

In other news: Contact made: West Ham have already positioned themselves to sign 17-goal ‘real handful’ for Moyes, find out more here.

Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Massimo Luongo could return to Australia, with Perth Glory reportedly interested in making a move for him.

The Lowdown: Luongo impresses for Owls

The 28-year-old has been an impressive performer at times for the Owls, scoring three goals in 45 appearances. and boasting impressive averages of 2.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in the Championship last season.

Luongo has lacked consistency though and is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, meaning he is set to miss a chunk of Wednesday’s League One campaign.

The Latest: Midfielder linked with exit

According to The Sheffield Star, Darren Moore could actually lose his midfielder for good, with Perth eyeing up a permanent move for him.

The A-League side are thought to be keen on bringing Luongo back to his homeland, with over a month of the Australian transfer window still remaining.

Luongo’s current Owls deal expires next summer, leaving his future up in the air.

The Verdict: Big potential loss?

Luongo would be a big loss if he moved on this summer, even though his injury problems have held him back at times at Hillsborough.

The tenacity and energy he provides in midfield could be too good for some League One opponents – he has won 43 caps for Australia, which speaks volumes – and he is an ideal foil for the more attack-minded Barry Bannan.

The hope may be that Luongo stays put at Wednesday and ends up signing a new contract, but cashing in now is a more viable option than losing him for free next year.

In other news, some Sheff Wed fans have been hailing an Owls player’s brilliance on international duty. Read more here.

Antonio Conte must turn to the rarely-seen Tanguy Ndombele for Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming festive fixtures, once they are able to return to action.

Sat just outside the top four and in need of a win in their final Europa Conference League group game, Spurs could do with someone of his calibre in the final third.

Conte and co are in need of some sort of saviour as his squad could be depleted going forward due to a viral outbreak amongst the Lilywhites camp this week – according to football.london, as many as seven first-team players have tested positive by a lateral flow test.

Provided Ndombele isn’t one of those, which he is unlikely to be after footage surfaced of training this week, he could hold the keys to Spurs enjoying some success in an absolute time of need.

He would provide the north Londoners with a player capable of driving the ball into the final third, and that’s what will be needed to boost their chances of transforming their fortunes in attack.

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

After all, scoring goals has largely been the biggest problem facing the team, with leading striker Harry Kane sitting on just one goal in the Premier League so far this season.

Only Norwich City (10.7) have managed fewer shots per game than Spurs (10.9), via WhoScored, whilst they are inside the bottom seven teams for expected goals (17.83 xG), even though they are on the cusp of a top-four spot.

Despite only starting five top-flight games, Ndombele is among Conte’s most prolific ball-carriers, having averaged 2.4 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, which is only bettered by Lucas Moura (3.5) of those who have played more than 400 minutes this term.

Elsewhere, he is also capable of doing the ‘dirty work’, having managed 2.2 tackles per 90, too. That’s actually better than defenders such as Ben Davies (0.6) and Eric Dier (0.3).

Ndombele was once dubbed a “world-beater” who can be “unplayable” on his day by former Spurs teammate Joe Hart and it’s that level of performance that we need to see from him more often and consistently.

That said, he clearly poses a level of technical ability greater than the bulk of his teammates, which is why his presence is needed on the pitch, especially in the final third, in such a crucial run of fixtures.

The £26m-rated midfielder must start in Conte’s XI going forward.

AND in other news, Spurs plot an ‘unprecedented’ January transfer spending spree. claim sources…

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Zian Flemming to the City Ground.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Dutch publication De Limburger, who claim that a deal for the Fortuna Sittard midfielder is looking increasingly unlikely for Dane Murphy to be able to get over the line this summer, with Italian sides Empoli and Napoli having entered the race for the 23-year-old.

It is also reported that Forest and the Eredivisie club have been at something of a stalemate over their respective valuations of the player, with the Reds thought to have already submitted more than one offer for Flemming, all of which have been rejected.

It is claimed that the Championship side feel the youngster is worth around £1.5m, while Fortuna are thought to be demanding a figure much higher than this amount in order to sanction a sale – with Flemming himself stating that his asking price was “a very high transfer fee – too high.”

However, De Limburger claim that, following the interest from Italy, the chances of a move to England and Nottingham, in particular, are fading fast.

Murphy will be gutted

Considering the sheer amount of potential Flemming appears to possess, as well as the fact that, at one point, it looked as if Forest were very much in the driving seat regarding the signing of the midfielder, should the Reds ultimately miss out on a deal for the 23-year-old this summer, it would undoubtedly leave Murphy gutted.

Indeed, over his 33 Eredivisie appearances last season, the £1.08m-rated man bagged 12 goals, provided seven assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.8 shots and making 0.8 key passes per fixture.

These metrics saw the attacking midfielder earn a highly impressive average SofaScore match rating of 7.04, ranking him as Fortuna Sittard’s third-best player in the top flight of Dutch football.

As such, with Forest already boasting a number of extremely talented youngsters in the likes of Brennan Johnson, Alex Mighten and Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel, the addition of Flemming would have further transformed Chris Hughton’s side into one of the most exciting outfits in the second tier.

However, with a move now looking unlikely for the 23-year-old, unless the Forest CEO can pull something special out of the bag to beat both Napoli and Empoli to the midfielder, he will have to turn his attention in what remains of the summer transfer window elsewhere.

In other news: Forest dealt blow over “one of the best” ahead of Bradford tie, Hughton will be gutted

A number of Sheffield Wednesday supporters weren’t impressed with Andre Green’s performance in the 0-0 draw at Charlton Athletic.

The Owls got their League One season underway on Saturday evening, making the trip to London to take on the Addicks. Wednesday’s opening game back in the third tier ended in a goalless draw at The Valley, but it could be looked back on as a good result next May.

Both teams will hope to be battling it out for promotion as the weeks and months pass and Darren Moore’s side held their own against their opponents.

Green was named in Wednesday’s starting lineup on the day, but he struggled to have a major impact on proceedings, earning a 5.8 rating from WhoScored. It was the lowest of anyone on the pitch and the striker failed to even get a shot off during his 63 minutes on the pitch, while he completed just seven passes all evening (via WhoScored).

Sheff Wed fans criticise Green’s performance

The 23-year-old’s performance didn’t impress some of the watching Owls fans either, with a number of them taking to Twitter to criticise his “woefully poor” display after the game.

“get Green out, he’s woefully poor”

Credit: @Ringrose91

“Disappointed in Andre Green over the last two games. Was expecting him to be better than he has been. We also need Gregory in the team. Kamberi showed glimpses but still not convinced. Apart from that I’m still encouraged that we will do well this season”

Credit: @LyndonWilkins10

“Not convinced of Green!”

Credit: @aaronswallow26

“You’ll have to watch an awful lot of football to find a football player as bad as Andre Green.”

Credit: @7ronaldo1309

“Green had a very poor game”

Credit: @G_Nibs

“Don’t start Green next week”

Credit: @AS__1867

In other news, Sheff Wed are reportedly interested in signing one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Swansea City have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Neco Williams to the Liberty Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that Liverpool are set to demand at least £10m for the 20-year-old in the summer transfer window, with the right-back believed to be keen on a move away from Anfield in a bid to play regular first-team football.

It is then reported that Leeds United, Southampton and Burnley have all expressed an interest in the Wales international. This news comes after TEAMtalk claimed earlier this month that Swansea, Cardiff City, Stoke City and Barnsley had enquired about the possibility of loaning the defender next season.

Fans will be gutted

The news that Williams is looking to move onto pastures new on a permanent basis this summer does not appear to bode well for Swansea’s chances of landing the right-back on a temporary deal, something that, considering the potential the youngster appears to possess, will leave fans of the club gutted as they’d surely love to have another Welsh international in their team each and every week

Indeed, having been with Liverpool since the U9 age group, the £7.2m-rated man has gone on to make a total of 25 senior appearances for the Reds and has developed significantly under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp.

The Welshman particularly impressed over his four Champions League appearances last season, helping his side keep one clean sheet, registering one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and winning three duels per game.

These metrics saw the £25k-per-week defender earn a highly impressive average SofaScore match rating of 7.13, ranking him as Liverpool’s eighth-best performer in the competition.

As such, it would very much appear as if the signing of the player whom Ryan Giggs dubbed an “outstanding” talent would have provided Steve Cooper’s side with a huge boost to their chances of going on to secure promotion to the Premier League next season.

However, with a loan deal now looking unlikely, and with the potential of Swansea not being able to afford Williams’ £10m asking price, it would certainly seem as if fans of the club should not hold their breath regarding a deal for the Welshman this summer.

In other news: Major Swansea City transfer development emerges that is sure to have Cooper buzzing

Former Scotland boss Alex McLeish has raved about Leeds United’s recruitment over the course of the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

While Marcelo Bielsa’s side may have only had a quiet window in terms of first-team incomings with the likes of Junior Firpo and Dan James joining, they did however do more business in bolstering their U23s squad, and it’s something McLeish has voiced his approval about.

He said: “Great development is terrific but you don’t bring ordinary players to the club. There has to be a talent in spotting them in the first place. There has to be an assessment of if these kids have great potential.

“That they were the standouts that they (talent spotters) saw at their level of under-16 or under-15s or even before that. Some of them join academies at the age of nine or ten.

“It can be a very long process but they are really singled out quite early in their football careers. It seems that at Leeds, the recruitment has been brilliant.”

Fans will be buzzing

According to Transfermarkt, Leeds signed four new players to add to their club’s already talented group of U23s players, including the likes of Lewis Bate from Chelsea, Amari Miller from Birmingham City, Sean McGurk from Wigan and Leo Hjelde from Celtic.

That of course followed on from the summer of 2020 when Bielsa’s side brought in the likes of Sam Greenwood, Crysencio Summerville and Joe Gelhardt among others – all of whom were features in the U23s Premier League Division 2 success last season.

As McLeish says, the Whites are making a conscious effort to ensure that they are spotting talent way before they really burst onto the scene and make their mark, at which point it becomes far more difficult to sign them as there will be lots more competition, and far more costlier too.

The signings Leeds have made, have all been for very minimal fees which ensures that really, whatever the case, they either stand to make a big profit, or watch them turn into first-team players for Bielsa’s senior side themselves.

In either case, the Whites’ transfer strategy is one that should be applauded, and McLeish’s verdict is sure to have fans absolutely buzzing.

Meanwhile, this Leeds star has been an absolute bargain…

Derby County are reportedly one of a number of Championship clubs interested in signing striker Kyle Lafferty in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Lafferty impresses for Kilmarnock

The 33-year-old is currently a free agent, having impressed for Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership last season.

Lafferty scored 13 goals in as many appearances for Tommy Wright’s side, proving that he is still a player who possesses plenty of quality in the final third.

The Latest: Derby keen on move

According to Football League World, Derby are one of a host of clubs eyeing up a summer move for the Northern Ireland international.

Lafferty would be available on a free transfer and could be someone that Wayne Rooney sees as being a regular source of goals in the Championship, as the Rams look to surge higher up the table next season.

The report states that West Brom, Cardiff City, Middlesbrough, Birmingham City, Ipswich Town and Wigan Athletic are all monitoring the situation, too.

The Verdict: Worth the risk?

Admittedly, the Championship is arguably a step up in quality from any of the Scottish leagues, but Lafferty could be worth taking a gamble on.

He has won 82 caps for Northern Ireland, scoring 20 goals along the way, playing in pressurised situations and not shrinking when expectations are high. His record for Kilmarnock also speaks for itself.

Lafferty doesn’t represent the long-term future and may not quite be the player he was, but he could thrive as an experienced option working alongside Rooney, who mastered the art of being a striker during his playing days.

In other news, Derby are believed to be interested in signing a star player for another team. Find out who it is here.

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Mohanad Jeahze to Parkhead in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Scottish Sun, who claim that Ange Postecoglou is on the lookout for a new left-back this summer, in order to provide Scotland international Greg Taylor with competition for his starting spot next season.

The report then goes on to state that the 56-year-old Bhoys boss has identified Hammarby’s Mohanad Jeahze as his primary target in the position, with the Allsvenskan defender’s side believed to be willing to part with the 25-year-old for a figure in the region of £2m.

He’s perfect for Angeball

Considering just how impressive Jeahze has been for Hammarby following his 2020 switch from Mjallby, it is not difficult to see why Postecoglou would be interested in the signing of the left-back this summer.

Indeed, over his 27 Allsvenskan appearances last season, the £900k-rated full-back was a bundle of creativity on the left flank, scoring one goal, registering seven assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 2.4 key passes, taking 0.5 shots and completing 0.7 dribbles per game.

The Iraq international also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, helping his side keep five clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.5 tackles, 1.5 clearances and winning 3.7 duels – at a success rate of 54% – per fixture.

These metrics saw the 25-year-old average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.24, not only ranking him as Hammarby’s best performer in the league but also as the joint 15th-best player in the division as a whole.

In total, the left-back has notched a total of two goals and 12 assists over his 55 appearances in all competitions for the Swedish side – incredibly impressive returns for a defender.

As such, with Jeahze evidently being a talent who is incredibly creative, boasts an impressive reading of the game and is extremely capable with the ball at his feet, it is not difficult to understand why Postecoglou would be keen to bring the defender to Celtic Park ahead of the Hoops’ 2022/23 campaign – as the Hammarby star appears to be a perfect fit for Angeball.

And, if the Iraqi is indeed available for as little as £2m this summer, the 25-year-old sensation could very easily go on to join the Greek-Australian’s ever-increasing list of impressive budget buys.

AND in other news: Celtic must secure “mouth-watering” deal for “outstanding” £6.5m gem, Ange loves him