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It has been suggested recently that Southampton could look to sign Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham in the summer transfer window and if he were to join the Saints, it would be a deal similar to the one that saw Graziano Pelle join the club in 2014.

According to EuroSport, both West Ham and Southampton have made tentative enquiries about signing the England international, who has struggled for game time under Thomas Tuchel since the German was appointed manager of the Stamford Bridge outfit.

The report suggests that with Chelsea targeting Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland ahead of the summer window, opportunities would be few and far in between for Abraham next season.

Therefore, a move away could be on the cards for the £36 million-rated forward, and Southampton would presumably be able to offer him regular football if he were to make the move to St Mary’s.

Southampton have had some great target men strikers in the past decade, with Rickie Lambert and Pelle two of the very best, but it is something they have arguably lacked under Hasenhuttl.

Danny Ings and Che Adams have lead the line for the majority of the past two seasons, and whilst both work extremely hard, neither are particularly strong in the air, so Abraham would definitely offer something different if he were to join.

The 6 foot 3 striker has been prolific in recent seasons, first on loan with Bristol City in the 2016/17 campaign, where he hit 26 goals in 48 appearances for the Robins.

After a disappointing spell with Swansea in the Premier League, he found his shooting boots once again with Aston Villa, notching 25 goals in 37 appearances on their way to promotion.

He then grabbed 15 Premier League goals with Chelsea last season under Frank Lampard and has now made six appearances for England as he continues to impress in the top-flight.

Therefore, there seems little doubt that he would score goals should he join Southampton in the summer, and he could prove to be similarly effective to the 6 foot 4 Pelle, who was superb in his time on the South Coast.

The Italian contributed 30 goals and 10 assists in 80 appearances for the Saints, before moving to China in 2016, so he is fondly remembered by a lot of Southampton fans.

So, if Martin Semmens can convince Abraham to join this summer, then it would be a deal reminiscent of the one that saw them sign Pelle, and hopefully, the 23-year-old would be as impressive as his Italian predecessor was in Southampton colours.

And, in other news… Forget Tella: Saints beast who played 4 key passes was Hasenhuttl’s star vs SHU – opinion

In the end, it turned out to be yet another miserable trip to the capital for Leeds United on Monday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side extended their wretched run of results in London with a dismal 2-0 defeat to West Ham in the Premier League, with the Whites now having lost 13 of their last 14 visits to the city.

Goals from Jesse Lingard and Craig Dawson were enough to consign them to a defeat, and while there were a number of poor performers on the night, Mateusz Klich’s shocker really stood out among the rest.

The Poland international’s form in recent weeks surely warranted him being dropped from the starting line-up against the Hammers, but once again, Bielsa chose to place his loyalty and faith in his midfielder.

And boy, was he made to regret that. Klich looked well off the pace in the opening 45 minutes of the contest, winning just one of his seven duels in total, losing 86% – the worst percentage of any Leeds player on the pitch.

There was none of the energy and dynamism on display that we see when Klich is at his absolute best, with the 30-year-old looking a shadow of his former self.

He made just the one tackle and recorded no interceptions, blocks or clearances whatsoever, while he wasn’t even a presence going forward either, with no shots on goal and no dribbles attempted.

The Leeds boss seemed to finally lose patience with him, and ended up hooking him at half-time, with Gjanni Alioski coming on in his place at the break.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for Leeds Live, Beren Cross noted: “Has looked like a passenger for weeks and again was well off it in the capital. Just seemed totally empty and unable to provide any kind of control or presence in the centre. Overrun by Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice.”

If he needed to be dropped before the game, then there simply cannot be any excuses for Bielsa from not reaching that conclusion after watching Klich’s performance on Monday night against the Hammers.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee says that Miguel Almiron has been one of Newcastle United’s best players this season, but could still do more.

The Paraguayan arrived for a then club-record fee of £21.6 million and famously struggled to get off the mark for the Magpies, despite no lack of endeavour.

Almiron went 27 games without a goal for Newcastle before netting the winner against Crystal Palace last season. The attacker is a testament to the fact that Newcastle fans will embrace anyone if they give their all, something Lee claims has never been in doubt over Almiron.

The 27-year old has turned a corner this season and is currently the club’s second top scorer with five goals and three assists, only behind Callum Wilson with 10 goals. However, Lee still believes there is more Almiron can give to Newcastle during this crucial time.

Lee gave his thoughts to Football FanCast on Almiron and where he can still improve his game and help Newcastle.

“He is one of our better players,” when asked about Almiron and how the team will cope during his injury.

Lee added: “I mean, one thing you can never say about him is he doesn’t try, he’s always giving 100%.

“My criticism is if I’m get attacking players in they’ve either got to create or score. He runs around but I’d rather someone not run and score 10 goals and create me 10 goals.”

There is no doubting Almiron’s commitment to Newcastle, which is something they need in a relegation fight. However, could he preserve some of his energy for when he’s in and around the box?

Lee was a midfielder himself for Newcastle and knows how you have to play to be loved by the fans, hence his admiration for Almiron’s workload. The need for goals is paramount for the Magpies now though.

Jose Mourinho will want to see a reaction from his Tottenham Hotspur side this evening after they were demolished by recently goal-shy Liverpool in midweek, though his team selection will be rather interesting.

He is going to have to make changes with leading talisman Harry Kane absent through injury, and if his half-time defensive inquest is to be believed, it would be a surprise to not see alterations to the XI after they leaked three goals to the defending champions, who had been on a run of four straight games without scoring.

But who will feature against relegation candidates Brighton and Hove Albion at The Amex this evening?

Here’s the lineup we’re predicting for this Premier League encounter…

There could be as many as four changes with Mourinho reverting to a back four, in which there are two players axed as a result of Thursday night’s embarrassment.

Eric Dier and Matt Doherty are surely in the firing line after a catalogue of errors against the Reds, so we could see a long-awaited return for Toby Alderweireld, who has been snubbed in four of their last five league outings, to partner Joe Rodon.

Whilst Ben Davies moves back to the left flank with Serge Aurier getting a chance at redemption having been hauled off at half-time.

In midfield, we’re likely to see Moussa Sissoko return to the fray. He has started 12 of their 18 league games, and with the change to a back-four, there’s a place for him alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with Tanguy Ndombele being pushed further forward.

With no Kane, it gives Mourinho a major dilemma. It’s rather damning that he didn’t turn to Carlos Vinicius when the England colossus came off injured, so he may not be given an opportunity here either.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-spurs-news-and-transfer-rumours” title= Read this week’s latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more…”]

Heung-min Son is best suited to a left-wing role, so we may see Gareth Bale gifted a rare chance to lead the line. He came on to score the winner in this exact fixture back in November and played his first full 90 minutes six days ago. He should be raring to go.

Another player facing Mourinho’s wrath is Steven Bergwijn, so Lucas Moura, who has been dubbed a “nightmare” to train against by Dier, is in line to start on the right.

The £25m arrival from PSG in 2018 hasn’t started much this term (four league games), but his energy will be needed in the attack without Kane after Bergwijn played 81 minutes only three nights ago.

AND in other news, Ardiles & Villa 2.0: Levy could form another deadly Spurs duo signing £25.2m-rated star…

Glasgow Rangers extended their lead over Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership after inflicting Neil Lennon’s second Old Firm defeat of the season.

Granted, it wasn’t the prettiest of affairs but the result was all that mattered in the end.

The home side struggled to get a foothold in the game at an empty Ibrox Stadium but a deflected effort from Joe Aribo proved to be enough to defeat the defending Scottish champions.

Steven Gerrard’s side looked a little off the pace to start with, but they gradually grew into the game, especially in the second half after their Premiership rivals were reduced to ten men.

Rangers were indebted to a fine performance from Allan McGregor as the veteran goalkeeper put in a hard graft to deny the likes of Leigh Griffiths and Odsonne Edouard and keep them in the game.

However, that doesn’t mean that Aribo’s latest showing should go unnoticed, as the Nigeria international showed grit and determination to dominate his individual battles in the midfield.

Aribo proved to be a commanding figure in the midfield, winning two out of his four aerial duels and won countless ground duels (5) as well, as per SofaScore.

He hustled and harried Celtic across the pitch, and produced a moment of good fortune after he flicked a corner at the front post that took a deflection off Celtic skipper Callum McGregor and spiralled into the back of the net.

SofaScore graded the 24-year-old with a high rating of 7.4 out of ten for his efforts – higher than any Rangers player on the pitch other than James Tavernier – despite the fact his passing accuracy was only 61%. However, he made four tackles, three interceptions, blocked one shot and was fouled twice, as he proved to be a real thorn in Neil Lennon’s side.

Although Celtic had their moments, this potential banana peel did little to disrupt Rangers’ momentum, as Aribo’s intensity levels never dipped. It was arguably the Gers’ best performance of the season, as they dug deep and grit their teeth to shut out Celtic and they thoroughly deserved the victory.

Gerrard will have been delighted to see Aribo contributed at the back and in attack, even if he was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers should reward Kai Kennedy with a new contract…

In the end, Aston Villa’s 4-1 defeat to Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup on Friday night just doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story.

Dean Smith’s side headed into the clash against the Premier League champions without their entire first-team squad, whilst the manager himself was also absent from the dugout.

It meant Mark Delaney took the reins, and was forced to field a side full of players from the academy set-up. And boy did them do him, the fans, and the club proud.

After 60 minutes of the game, Villa were all square with the country’s best team, with Louie Barry’s late first-half equaliser surely sparking pandemonium from those fans watching at home.

But whilst the striker will naturally take a lot of the headlines for his goal, it was arguably centre-back Dominic Revan who stole the show.

The 20-year-old – one of the oldest Villa players on the pitch which is saying something – was a commanding presence at the back, and didn’t look at all ruffled at the prospect of dealing with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

As per Sofascore, Revan made a whopping 14 clearances on the night, by far the most of any player, whilst he also put his body on the line and blocked three shots too.

Defensively, he was an absolute brick wall, winning seven out of the ten total duels that he contested, including all five on the ground.

Villa’s defensive record in the Premier League this season has been impressive, with just 16 goals conceded.

If Revan’s performance is a sign of what’s to come from him in the future, then Smith could be looking at a centre-back who is ready to stake his claim in the side for the next several years.

كشف والد اللاعب جيريمي دوكو، عن اهتمام برشلونة بالتعاقد مع نجله خلال الفترة الماضية، مشيرًا إلى أنه لن يذهب للبلوجرانا في ظل هذه الظروف.

وصول تشافي إلى مقاعد بدلاء برشلونة، فتح حقبة جديدة للنادي، وبالفعل قاموا بالتعاقد مع داني ألفيس، وهناك العديد من اللاعبين على رادار النادي الكتالوني.

جيريمي دوكو مهاجم ستاد رين الشاب، محل اهتمام لبرشلونة في الأسابيع الأخيرة ليكون ضمن صفقات الشتاء في حال لم يتم التعاقد مع ستيرلينج.

طالع أيضًا: ليفربول يجدد اهتمامه بضم دوكو

والد اللاعب البلجيكي صرح وفقَا لصحيفة “آس”: “لا أعتقد أن برشلونة في وضع يسمح لهم بالتعاقد مع نجلي”.

وأضاف: “هناك العديد من الأندية التي ترغب في ضم جيريمي، ولا يمكنني قول أكثر من هذا، لكنني أؤكد بأن راتب جيريمي أكبر من إمكانيات برشلونة، ولا يمكنهم تحمل قيمة التعاقد معه”.

صاحب الـ19 عامًا تألق مع أندرلخت البلجيكي قبل أن ينضم إلى رين مابل 26 مليون يورو في الصيق الماضي، ويلعب في مركز الجناح ويتألق مع النادي الفرنسي، ولديه عقد حتى 2025، ويريد رين 50 مليون يورو للتخلي عنه.

Throughout the transfer window, West Ham United have been linked with a move for Championship full-back Rico Henry. However, David Moyes seems to have lost interest in the player for a surprising reason, much to the frustration of many Irons fans.

According to @ExWHUemployee, and as tweeted by @whufc_news, the Hammers manager believes the Brentford left-back is too small and hence is unlikely to make an offer for the player.

The 23 year-old, who is valued at just £1.8m by Transfermarkt, is 1.7 metres tall, and what makes Moyes’ point of view even more surprising is that Irons left-back Aaron Cresswell is the same height. The left-back, who is now playing at centre-back for Moyes, per Transfermarkt, has played in 35 out of the last 42 Premier League games for West Ham.

Therefore the reasoning behind losing interest in Henry, which comes from a trusted West Ham source, seems illogical. The Bees defender performed well in the Championship last season at both ends of the pitch, with an average of 1.6 successful tackles and 1.9 clearances per game, via WhoScored, whilst also supplying two assists.

Some Irons fans were unsurprisingly displeased with Moyes’ “ridiculous” reasoning for apparently turning down Henry, with one supporter feeling that he is “not the best of judges” on a player.

How some West Ham fans reacted to the transfer update on Rico Henry

West Ham fans, is Moyes wrong to disregard Henry because of his height? Comment below with your views!

Newcastle United may beat Valencia CF to the signing of Juventus ace Daniele Rugani, according to a tweet from Italian football journalist and transfer guru Alfredo Pedulla.

Indeed, Rugani would arguably be a good signing to make by the Tyneside club, even if he only came on loan for the rest of the 2020/21 term.

The Italy international has a wealth of experience at the highest level, playing in a total of Transfermarkt.

Looking at his stats in Italy’s top flight in the 2019/20 season, Rugani won a rather impressive 4.1 of his duels per match, and also averaged 1.5 clearances and 1.1 interceptions a game (via Sofascore).

At 26 years of age too, the central defender has arguably not quite hit his prime years as of yet, and so he may be able to develop and improve under Steve Bruce at St. James’ Park should the Magpies wish to put in a firm offer to get his signature over the dotted line before the summer window shuts.

However, there may be a slight concern over his lack of experience playing in English football, but members of the Toon Army will be hoping that Rugani could quickly adapt to the pace and physicality of England’s highest division should he make the move to the North East.

Nonetheless, a deal will have to be done sooner rather than later before the market officially closes.

Geordies, would Rugani be a good signing? Comment below!

Newcastle missed a potential summer upgrade on Miguel Almiron in Napoli star Hirving Lozano.

What was the story?

Reports over the summer transfer window suggested that the Magpies were in very advanced talks to sign the Mexico international, and that a deal to lure the winger away from Italy was close.

It was claimed that after enduring a difficult debut campaign in Serie A – he managed just five goals in 34 games across all competitions – Napoli wanted to get him off the books and were willing to sell him for a lower price than what they originally signed him for a year earlier.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

A deal failed to materialise before the deadline, and the chances of landing a star attacker went with it.

Almiron upgrade

Valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, Lozano has got all the raw attributes to become a top player, and he could have been a major game-changer for Newcastle.

His manager at Napoli, Gennaro Gattuso, claimed that his speed is “crazy”, whilst his goal-scoring record at former club PSV is something to behold. Despite predominantly operating behind the front-man and out wide, the Mexican showed his incredible knack at finding the back of the net – not surprising given that he’s been compared to now Atletico Madrid superstar Luis Suarez.

In the 79 games that he played for the Eredivisie giants, he scored 40 goals and provided a further 23 assists too, and when you compare those kinds of numbers to Newcastle’s own resident live-wire, Almiron, then it’s really chalk and cheese.

The Paraguay international has scored a measly nine times in 59 games for the club, and has struggled to see his work-rate and energy reflected in end-product.

Had they managed to land Lozano, they would have got a huge upgrade on the former MLS ace.