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If there was one Premier League club who were likely to sign an ageing former star way past their prime, it’s West Ham United.

The Hammers have made a solid reputation for themselves in the past few years by signing players who were once great but had dropped off massively over the years due to poor form and questionable career choices, with Samir Nasri being the latest example.

It’s a strategy that, for the most part, has halted West Ham from achieving their true potential as a club that can actually challenge for a European spot in the table, with the 2015/16 season an indicator that with the right players the Irons can be a dangerous side in the Premier League, and latest rumours don’t make for promising reading for supporters.

According to the Sun, Manuel Pellegrini’s side are one of four teams interested in former Arsenal and Manchester City star Emmanuel Adebayor, who is currently a free agent after two years in Turkey, and we believe that West Ham signing the striker will be a massive step in the wrong direction for the club.

At 35-years-old, Adebayor is entering the final years of his career and has not played regular first-team football since the 2017/18 season looking at his appearance numbers from Transfermarkt, and as well as age and a lack of match fitness the striker does not fit West Ham’s ambitions laid out by Pellegrini.

The Hammers boss has been quoted by football.london as a manager who wants to take West Ham into European football, and with the recent transfer of the highly-rated Pablo Fornals and mass exodus of player releases, you have to believe Pellegrini wants to take the club to the next level, and Adebayor simply doesn’t fit this quota.

West Ham fans, who should the club sign this summer? Let us know!

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The news that Newcastle fans feared most was confirmed recently as the club failed to reach an agreement with Rafa Benitez over a contract extension, meaning that he’ll leave the Magpies on the 30th of June when his current deal expires.

With limited financial resources, Benitez worked heroically to return the club to England’s top-flight and prolong Newcastle’s status as a Premier League side. In doing so, he unified a fanbase that has become increasingly disillusioned with Mike Ashley’s ownership.

Accordingly, Newcastle supporters’ disappointment at seeing the 59-year-old depart the club is unsurprising, but his departure could denote an opportunity for others to impress.

With that said, here are players who could benefit from the Spaniard’s departure.

Jonjo Shelvey

The 27-year-old was restricted to a mere 16 Premier League appearances for Newcastle last season, only ten of which were starts, further evidence of his limited involvement.

While the Englishman has played under Benitez more often than any other manager – 104 times – he has the highest total of minutes per goal (955 minutes) than any other manager in his professional career.

Furthermore, the English midfielder has only registered 24 goal contributions (eight goals, 16 assists) under Benitez, whereas, at Swansea, he achieved 19 goals contributions (six goals, 13 assists) under Garry Monk’s stewardship in 43 fewer games.

Shelvey’s passing ability, mainly his impressive range, has been a longstanding strength of his. And, under the guidance of a manager who is prepared to release the manacles that have often been placed on the Newcastle playmaker in recent years, his creative talents could come to the fore once more.

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Ki Sung-Yeung

The South Korean’s move to Newcastle has failed to progress as initially hoped. Signed on a free transfer from Swansea City, where he proved to be a very dependable player, the 30-year-old struggled to exert a similar influence under Benitez’s guidance.

The midfielder only featured on 18 occasions in the Premier League last season, 14 of which were starts, and a man of his experience in England’s top-flight and on the international stage would have expected to play more frequently.

During his time with the Swans – where Ki attained 162 appearances – he proved to be a reliable player and one whose skill set was aligned with the ‘Swansea way’ of playing, where emphasis on ball retention and fluid passing sequences were foremost.

Given his limited resources, particularly financial resources, Benitez’ style of play was far more pragmatic and stringent at Newcastle. Conceivably, this pragmatism favoured high-energy midfield enforcers such as Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff over ball-playing technicians like Ki and Shelvey.

Under new management, particularly someone willing to play with greater creativity and risk in possession, Ki could thrive.

Miguel Almiron

Such was the extent of Benitez’s pragmatism last season, Newcastle played most of their Premier League games (22 out of 38) deploying a 5-4-1 formation.

Given Newcastle’s then long-standing transfer record and the lack of attacking ambition under Benitez, it was somewhat surprising to see Newcastle pay £20m for a player of Almiron’s flair and creativity.

Despite having his season shortened by injury, the 25-year-old impressed during his ten league outings for the Magpies, particularly on his full debut against Huddersfield.

While the 25-year-old has impressed since moving to the club, many of his games have been played as a left-midfielder – where he has failed to register a single goal contribution.

For much of his club career, however, Almiron has been deployed as an attacking midfielder.

He has made 38 goal contributions (20 goals, 18 assists) in 53 games as an attacking midfielder, by contrast, he has only achieved three goal contributions (one goal, two assists) in 26 games on the left.

There’s no disputing that Almiron has done well since moving to Newcastle, but his qualities are better employed when playing as an attacking midfielder.

A manager willing to play the 25-year-old in his favoured position will likely maximise his output.

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We are now into July, which means that the 20 Premier League clubs only have just over a month to get their business done before the new season starts. Today’s Premier League transfer roundup includes an update in regards to the future of a West Ham star, news on Tanguy Ndombele’s move to Tottenham and an Arsenal bid made for a Crystal Palace winger.

Arnautovic wants out

Marko Arnautovic has not had the best of times at West Ham this year. The Austrian appeared to be on his way out of the London Stadium in January amidst interest from China, but in the end, he ended up staying at the Hammers, even signing a new contract. However, it now appears that he wants a move, according to Sky Sports. They are reporting that he has handed in a transfer request to the club, with an unnamed side from the Chinese Super League once again interested. The former Inter Milan forward has scored 22 goals in 65 games since joining the Hammers in 2017.

Ndombele signs for Spurs

It has been on the cards for quite a while, and now the saga finally seems to have come to an end. According to Sky Sports, Tanguy Ndombele has signed for Tottenham from Lyon. The French midfielder will join the club in a deal worth £65m, which is the highest fee Spurs have ever paid for a player. He will sign a five-year contract with the Lilywhites, with the option to add another year. The fee represents a huge profit for the Ligue 1 side. They signed Ndombele last year for just £7.2m, meaning they will make a profit of over £57m.

Arsenal make Zaha bid

Arsenal’s transfer budget is not the biggest this year, with the Gunners reportedly having just £45m to spend on new recruits. As such, they may struggle to sign their top targets, but that won’t stop them from trying. According to Sky Sports, the Emirates outfit have launched a bid of £40m for Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha. The Ivory Coast international apparently wants the move, having told Palace that it is his dream to join the North London side. However, this bid is unlikely to be enough to convince the Eagles to let go of one of their most-prized assets who they value at £80m.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Dani Ceballos could become one of Tottenham Hotspur’s summer signings as talks over a loan deal continue to progress, per Football FanCast sources.

On the chalkboard

What exactly will Ceballos bring to north London, though, if he ends up completing a move?

Indeed, Spurs are currently haggling over a £45m buyout clause that would allow the club to purchase the Spain international next summer, sources have said.

And one can see why Mauricio Pochettino is so keen on adding the Spain international to his squad.

He made a total of 23 appearances for Real in La Liga last season, with ten coming as a substitute.

Per WhoScored, he scored three goals and averaged one key pass per game, along with just 0.6 dribbles.

His passing completion rate is exemplary, too, and stands at 92.6% from 44.1 average passes. He also averaged two long balls per game, 1.4 tackles and 0.7 interceptions and fouls.

For Spain’s Under-21 side, in the European Championships this summer, his stats are all the more impressive.

He scored two goals and registered two assists in five games, with 2.8 key passes per game, 3.8 dribbles and a pass completion rate of 90.1% from 75 average passes.

That, quite simply, is absolutely exceptional.

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Raises his game

One feels that Ceballos does not need to grab the game by the scruff of the neck when he is playing for Real.

They have the likes of Gareth Bale, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric; Ceballos does not need to be the main man.

For Spain’s Under-21 team, though, his stats suggest that he is handed the responsibility of running games, and he stood up to that.

At Spurs, he would likely have a similar role; yes, they have the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min but a progressive central midfielder would be an excellent addition.

Moussa Sissoko can do that and Tanguy Ndombele has been signed to perhaps play alongside him, but Ceballos is a more traditional playmaker and would be able to keep the ball moving, looking to probe defences and find a way through.

Reports suggest that Pochettino is very keen to sign him this summer and has asked chairman Daniel Levy to deliver.

He would be an exceptional acquisition.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

A pre-season tour is usually seen as a way of building squad harmony, morale and fitness ahead of a new season.

It traditionally involves a trip to a faraway land, in this case Australia, for players young, old and new to get accustomed to each other in a different environment.

When Leeds announced their tour of Australia, a trip in which they’ll face both Manchester United and Western Sydney Wanderers, similar assumptions would have been made.

However, Marcelo Bielsa isn’t a normal character. He may be a fantastic manager, but he doesn’t always do things in a traditional manner.

A pre-season tour to the other side of the world is a relatively new thing in football terms but neither Bielsa or the full team have travelled.

16 members of Leeds’ squad touched down over the weekend after a lengthy flight, but a number of star names were left off the list to have travelled.

It’s an interesting plan from the Argentine coach who has split his squad into two parts. Staying behind in Yorkshire are the likes of Helder Costa, Jack Clarke and Mateusz Klich whilst new arrival Ben White is also not in the tour squad.

Initially, this might have been seen as a bizarre decision, but it could actually be game-changing for Leeds heading into the new season.

Why? Because it may actually give Bielsa a chance to directly focus on embedding his new signings.

On the same day as the Whites take on United on the other side of the world, the players left behind will face rather less glamorous opposition in Tadcaster Albion.

Leeds wouldn’t have been able to play everyone in Australia so this gives a better chance of getting everyone up to speed in terms of match fitness far quicker.

It’s an unorthodox method, but it’s also genius. This will give Bielsa a chance to teach the new signings how Leeds play whilst implementing it in separate matches away from the noisy crowds.

It may also give him a chance to experiment as he did against York when Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford both played together.

Although this can be seen as somewhat of a protest against the tour from Leeds’ manager, there is logic to his madness.

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It’s a different model, but one that could ultimately pay off for the new signings and players like Samu Saiz who have been away from the squad.

By staying in England, it can benefit players like Costa who may now be able to adjust to life in Leeds far sooner than he would have if he jetted off to Australia.

Therefore, splitting the squad into two has the potential to be a masterstroke.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Troy Parrott could be a part of his first-team squad next season, per the London Evening Standard.

What’s he said?

Parrott made his debut for the club in the pre-season friendly against Juventus on Sunday, playing 45 minutes in a game that Spurs won 3-2.

A 17-year-old striker, he has been prolific for the club’s Under-18 team, scoring 15 goals in 13 games.

Parrott has also won caps for the Republic of Ireland at youth level and Pochettino says that he could be utilised as back-up to Harry Kane in the 2019/20 campaign after both Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen left the club.

He said: “Today, yes [he could be included in the squad], tomorrow, I don’t know.

“He’s still so young but we’ll see what happens at the end of the transfer window. If we have the squad that we have today, of course he’s going to have the possibility to be with the first team.”

Kane all over again?

We’ve seen this before.

It seems too early to make any predictions about the Irishman but fans will surely cast their minds back to the debut of Harry Kane.

He came into the team at a time when Roberto Soldado was struggling and Emmanuel Adebayor was sulking and became an instant hit.

He has become a genuinely prolific forward during his time in north London and is perhaps one of the best in the world – he has scored 164 goals for the club.

Parrott now finds himself in a similar situation following the departures of Llorente and Janssen. Yes, Heung-min Son and Lucas Moura can operate as central strikers if necessary, but the youngster is now technically Spurs’ second-best centre-forward specialist.

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Parrott has huge boots to fill if he fancies following in the England captain’s footsteps, but Pochettino’s faith in youth will be exciting for supporters.

It was not the Argentine who handed Kane his debut but he has seen the likes of Dele Alli, Harry Winks and Juan Foyth thrive under his management.

Kane walked through the open door and made the striker position his own and the circumstances are now there for Parrott to do the same.

With both Janssen and Llorente gone, the club have just one senior striker; Parrott could become the deputy the squad so desperately needs.

[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… Kevin Mirallas.Remember him, Everton fans?The Belgian last turned out for the Toffees in a competitive fixture on December 7th 2017, in a Europa League game against Apollon Limassol, where he incidentally grabbed an assist for those of you wondering how he fared.Anyway, a January loan move back to Olympiacos, the side where Everton initially signed the forward from, followed and the 31-year-old has not featured competitively ever since for the Merseysiders.You won’t believe which of Liverpool’s Champions League winning side of 2005 is still playing in the video below…It appeared as if the 6 foot ace was close to joining Standard Liege, as reported by Voetbal 24, but then the very same source debunked the rumour which left Everton fan page Royal Blue Mersey feeling slightly upset by the sounds of it.However, despite the mythical exit, could Mirallas still be of use to the Toffees?Who knows, but Marco Silva’s use of the Belgium international in pre-season has been particularly intriguing – the former Hull boss has been using the attacker at right-back!It may sound weird, but Silva has even done it more than once this summer.

Mirallas played on the right of defence against FC Sion, and also lined up in the role yet again in Wednesday’s 0-0 draw against Wigan.

Silva has made clear of his intentions to sign a right-back this summer to compete with Seamus Coleman, with that specific department weakened by the departure of Jonjoe Kenny to Schalke.

Pre-season is, of course, the time for managers to test out new things when there are no real consequences at large, and judging by his use of Mirallas it seems as if the Portuguese boss is gearing up to have the Belgian as right-back cover in case no new face can be signed.

Everton are still hoping to sign loan star Kurt Zouma from Chelsea, and are said to be keen on the £80m-rated Wilfried Zaha, so it remains to be seen how much money is left in the bank for a right-back if these two deals come off.

One thing is for certain though – Silva’s use of Mirallas is eye-catching.

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Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce has revealed that defender Jamaal Lascelles will remain the club’s captain heading into the 2019/20 campaign.

Bruce has replaced Rafael Benitez at the helm and the former Manchester United centre-back is currently preparing his team for the new season.

There will not be a change when it comes to the captaincy, though, with the Magpies boss confirming that Lascelles would keep hold of the armband.

The centre-back has made 63 Premier League appearances over the last couple of seasons, including 32 during the 2018/19 campaign.

Last season he failed to enhance the glowing reputation he earned following a series of colossal performances in 2017/18, as Fabian Schar stole the limelight at the heart of defence following his move from Deportivo La Coruna.

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Fitness permitting, Lascelles will wear the armband for the club in their Premier League opener against Unai Emery’s Arsenal on August 11.

The Newcastle fans have been out in their numbers offering their views on Bruce’s comments, and it’s fair to say the reaction was a mixed bag.

A selection of the Twitter reaction is available to view below:

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The youngster played well during United’s pre-season tour and has made a real case for himself for the upcoming Premier League campaign.

We dare say that, for as long as “J Lingz” keeps up his barrage of superlatives, Gomes will be riding on supreme confidence. And that’s a really, really good thing.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that first-choice goalkeeper Alisson will be out “for the next few weeks” following the injury he suffered against Norwich City on Friday night, with recent arrival Adrian set to step in for the foreseeable future.

The Reds only brought the Spaniard to Anfield last week on a free transfer, but he didn’t have to wait long to make his debut as replaced his Brazilian teammate 39 minutes in against the Canaries.

While that was the former West Ham United stopper’s 126th Premier League appearance meaning he has plenty of top flight experience, he has had his fair share of dodgy moments of the years, which could be worrying for a club chasing the title.

Here are three examples…

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West Ham looked to be on their way to three points at home to Stoke City in 2016 following a second-half own goal from Glenn Whelan, but a moment of madness from Adrian allowed the Potters to snatch a point.

The Spaniard raced out of his area to try and stop a cross from Jon Walters, but as well as failing to prevent that and also bringing the attacker down, Bojan was on hand to score the equaliser.

Manager at the time Slaven Bilic said post-match: “It’s a mistake by Adrian”.

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The Irons found themselves 2-0 at Anfield approaching the hour-mark, at a point where the next goal was always going to be crucial.

Unfortunately for the visitors, a mistake by Adrian gifted Jurgen Klopp’s men a third goal, with striker Roberto Firmino even having enough time to produce a no-look finish into the net.

Another day to forget for the stopper, who picked up a 4/10 rating from Football London.

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Just a week after the Anfield error, Adrian once again lined up between the sticks for the trip to south Wales to face Swansea – but the result was exactly the same.

The goalkeeper may have been less at fault than the previous away trip despite conceding four goals, but he should have done a lot better from Ki Sung-yueng’s opener for the Swans.

It was hardly well-hit from outside the penalty area as you can see here, but it still beat Adrian’s out-stretched arm to nestle in the bottom corner.

For the second successsive week, it was a 4/10 rating for the stopper from Football London.

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