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West Ham United have been handed a huge boost ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture this Saturday.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Tom Clark’s recent report for Football.London, in which the West Ham correspondent revealed that both Kurt Zouma and Tomas Soucek are back in contention for the trip to Manchester United this weekend, as the duo are set to return to training this week following their respective recoveries from injury and illness.

Central midfielder Soucek has been unavailable for selection for the Hammers’ last two fixtures after falling ill due to the ongoing viral pandemic, while centre-back Zouma has been absent for six weeks after picking up a hamstring injury in the 3-2 win over Chelsea in December.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how important both Soucek and Zouma are within David Moyes’ squad, the news that the duo could make a return to first-team football this weekend is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over Zouma’s 11 Premier League appearances this season, the £28.8m-rated defender has helped his side keep two clean sheets and scored one goal, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 0.6 tackles, 5.2 clearances and winning 60% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £120k-per-week man average a SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as the Hammers’ joint 10th-best player in the top flight of English football.

Meanwhile, over Soucek’s 20 league outings, the £40.5m-rated midfielder has scored three goals, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 2.3 tackles, three clearances and winning 6.7 duels per fixture.

These metrics have seen the £47k-per-week man average a SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as Moyes’ seventh-best performer in the division.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the return of both players will come as a huge boost to West Ham’s chances of leaving Old Trafford with all three points on Saturday afternoon – a result that would very much strengthen the Hammers’ top-four credentials this season.

In other news: “A deal is there…”: Ex drops teasing transfer claim that will have WHU fans sweating

Manchester United have reportedly entered the race to sign Porto forward Luis Diaz as new interim manager Ralf Rangnick looks to make his mark in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Red Devils are of several European heavyweights interested in snapping up the highly-rated 24-year-old, with Juventus, Bayern Munich and Liverpool also listed as potential suitors.

The report states that Porto’s exit from the Champions League group stage could tempt them into selling their prized asset over the winter, although United’s fierce rivals from Merseyside are thought to be leading the chase.

Previous reports indicated he may not leave for less than €50m (£42m).

Ralf Rangnick would love him

Since arriving at the Estadio do Dragao from his homeland back in 2019, the Colombia international has quickly established himself as a key player for the Dragons.

In 107 appearances for Sergio Conceicao’s charges, Diaz has bagged 38 goals and provided a further 16 assists for his teammates, playing a pivotal part in their domestic double in 2019/20.

His impressive performances at club level have earned the creative talent 31 caps for his country, and he featured heavily for his nation in last summer’s Copa America, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with four strikes.

And Diaz has elevated his game to new heights in the current campaign. He recently added another superb striking to an already impressive collection with a screamer in against Vitoria Guimaraes.

The beautiful goal was perfectly summed up by Marino Peixoto, a Portuguese football enthusiast, who took to social media to laud the ‘frightening’ South American’s impressive talents.

“The rate at which Luís Diaz is churning out otherworldly performances coupled with his ability to score screamers like this on a consistent basis is genuinely frightening,” he wrote. “Only a matter of time before somebody pays an astronomical fee for him.”

Furthermore, quotes from Sergio Oliveira on the forward paint him in an extremely positive light too: “I don’t have to answer, we know his qualities, apart from the human level he is also extraordinary on a technical level.”

With Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Edinson Cavani and Paul Pogba all out of contract at the conclusion of 2021/22, it’s likely that Rangnick will need some attacking reinforcements over the next couple of transfer windows.

And Diaz could be the ideal candidate to continue the progression being made in the red half of Manchester under the renowned 63-year-old tactician.

Over the last few years, the £22.5m-rated magician has cultivated a reputation for being an elite-level dribbler who is capable of playing defence-splitting passes while also being able to finish with alarming regularity.

Those are a set of frightening and quite frankly jaw-dropping skills that Rangnick would surely love to have at his disposal, meaning a move could be on the cards over the winter window.

And, in other news…Rangnick must seal Man Utd move for £46k-p/w “phenomenon”, he is “out of the ordinary”

Taking to Twitter, Sportitalia TV reporter Rudy Galetti has dropped a promising Tottenham Hotspur transfer update involving Wolverhampton Wanderers star Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites eye Traore move…

According to numerous reliable sources, Tottenham manager Antonio Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici are eager to sign the Spaniard and have placed him on the club’s wish list.

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Indeed, reliable reporter John Percy of The Telegraph says that Spurs are ‘weighing up’ a move for Traore this month while another good source in Fabrizio Romano backs the Lilywhites’ interest.

According to the Italian transfer guru, speaking on Chris Cowlin’s YouTube channel recently (via The Express), Wolves’ forward is ‘super-appreciated’ by both Conte and Paratici.

Sharing the latest on Traore, Galetti has dropped a promising update on social media.

The Latest: Galetti makes Twitter claim…

Taking to Twitter, the Sportitalia TV journalist claims that the 25-year-old is a top target for Conte and Wolves could now sell for just €20 million (£16.6m).

“Adama Traore continues to be on the Antonio Conte preferred list. Wolves could let him go for around €20M,” he stated.

“West Ham are also closely following the situation of the right-winger. Evolving situation.”

The Verdict: Should Paratici move?

A direct winger possessing real pace and threat, Traore’s versatility means he can also be deployed across the midfield and further forward.

His stats are also very impressive with the attacker averaging a brilliant 4.5 completed dribbles per 90 in the Premier League over his ten starts this season – almost double that of Lucas Moura, who holds Spurs’ highest amount of successful take-ons (WhoScored).

Former Lilywhites boss Nuno Espirito Santo knows all about Traore, having coached him at Molineux, with the Portuguese raving over his ‘very special’ and ‘unique’ player last year (Express & Star).

Amid Conte’s personal search for a right-wing back, Traore could come as a surprise option for that position too given he has played in that position.

Still fairly young, if Spurs can indeed sign him for just £16.6m, they would have very little to lose.

In other news: Tottenham racing to sign ‘sensational’ player as Levy willing to table ‘huge’ offer, find out more here.

Everton have received a selection boost ahead of the Merseyside Derby with Liverpool at Goodison Park after Rafa Benitez revealed he has no fresh injury concerns, while Andre Gomes has started training with the first team again.

What’s the word?

The Toffees will be aiming to end a seven-game winless run when they host their local rivals in this midweek clash, and their chances of doing just that have been increased by Benitez’s latest update.

In Tuesday’s press conference, the 61-year-old revealed that he’s only set to be without three players for the visit of the Reds due to fitness concerns, with Richarlison also back from suspension.

“We have three players injured. Davies, Yerry Mina and Calvert-Lewin. Andre Gomes has started training with the team,” confirmed Benitez.

Everton will also be boosted by the fact that key midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure came through his first 90 minutes in several weeks unscathed over the weekend, providing hope that the hosts can cause an unlikely upset.

Rafa Benitez will be buzzing

News that Everton have no new injury concerns to contend with, combined with the fact that Doucoure is available for selection and Richarlison is back from suspension will surely have Benitez absolutely buzzing.

The Blues have slipped to 14th in the top-flight table after picking up just two points from a possible 21 in recent weeks, piling the pressure on the Spanish tactician. However, with key men now returning, it’s a huge boost when you consider they have a Merseyside derby on their plate this evening.

With Richarlison and Doucoure racking up a combined four goals and five assists in the Premier League between them this term, Benitez will be delighted to welcome both players back into his struggling setup, especially in a campaign where unavailability has plagued the Toffees squad.

It remains to be seen if the deadly duo can fire Everton to a positive result against Liverpool, but their return to action will certainly be warmly welcomed by everyone associated with Goodison Park.

And, in other news…Everton line up “leader of the year” to succeed Benitez, Toffees fans will be ecstatic

Reported Celtic target Patrick Berg is now set to join Lens instead, according to reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Celtic links

The Hoops have been working away ahead of the January transfer window, with up to four possible permanent signings in the New Year.

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Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda could make the move to Parkhead, whereas on-loan winger Jota could end up completing a full-time switch.

Celtic were after Berg in the summer and were once again linked with the Bodo/Glimt man in recent weeks, but it seems as if they won’t be securing the 24-year-old’s services.

The Latest: Lens move

Romano took to Twitter on Friday morning to provide an update on Berg’s future.

The transfer expert said that Berg will sign his contract with Lens ‘in the next few hours’, before name-checking the Hoops as a linked party in a second post.

The Verdict: Big news…

Not only is this big news in regards to Celtic’s transfer plans, but it may also have a major impact on Ange Postecoglou’s Europa League Conference opponents.

Berg, labelled as ‘great’ by The Celtic Analysis in the summer, has been a regular for the Norwegian side in recent years, so they could now lose a key man in their captain ahead of the two-legged tie with Celtic in 2022.

You could say the update is bittersweet for Postecoglou, but it looks as if he will bring midfield additions to the club in Hatate and Ideguchi.

In other news: ‘Could be a long time’ – Devlin shares worrying injury update on Celtic ace after bone ‘break’. 

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has confirmed that Patrick Bamford will once again be missing for Leeds United as they take on Leicester City this afternoon, while the striker himself has delivered the latest update on where things currently stand with his injury.

What’s the story?

Writing on Twitter on Friday, Hay said: “Bielsa’s pre-Leicester press conference this morning – Bamford, Ayling and Koch are all still unavailable for Sunday. Sounds like everyone else is ready.”

Earlier this week, Bamford himself admitted that his recover from injury is dragging out longer than he initially expected. He said: “It’s okay. It’s a little bit slow. It is [getting better], day by day. It’s just taking a little bit longer than I first thought.

“I think the thing that has got under my skin a little bit this time is that I anticipated I would be back in four weeks and the fact that it has taken longer than that is a little bit hard to get my head around. But now I am seeing improvements.”Fans will be worriedGiven that Bamford was Leeds’ top scorer last season with 17, it’s no surprise that the Whites have really struggled for goals to start this Premier League campaign – they’ve managed just ten in their opening ten games.Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan recently voiced his concern about the kind of impact that not having Bamford in this side would have.He said: “It was one of my biggest fears. How can we live life without Patrick playing from when he’s the one player that really strings everything together up front?”He runs in behind, he runs the channels, takes centre-halves out of positions. His energy, his work right across the backline in the opposition’s defence. There’s not a player like him at the club. That was my worry, if anything did happen, which it has done now. We have seen that difficult side of the game going forward.”The longer that Bamford remains out, the more difficult it becomes to see how the Whites genuinely address their goalscoring issues up front. While Rodrigo may have netted against Norwich last week, the Spaniard hasn’t exactly shown himself to be a prolific forward just yet, and fans will surely be concerned as to when their star centre-forward will come back.Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped an exciting 49ers claim…

Tottenham Hotspur star Steven Bergwijn fired the Netherlands into the 2022 World Cup this week and in the process, he has just handed his manager a tricky selection dilemma back in north London.

The Lilywhites, who currently sit ninth in the Premier League table, welcome Leeds United to N17 on Sunday when they will be looking to vastly change their fortunes on the pitch.

It’ll only be the second time, the first at home, in which Conte takes the Spurs dugout in the English top-flight having replaced Nuno Santo earlier this month.

The 0-0 stalemate at Everton raised some question marks as their poor form in front of goal continued. It’s now approaching four hours since Tottenham managed a shot on target – Harry Kane’s header against West Ham – and it’s around five hours since their last goal – Heung-min Son’s goal at Newcastle.

Since joining from PSV Eindhoven for €30m (£25m) back in January 2020, Bergwijn has struggled to make his mark at the club, being in and out of the side under every manager and did not feature, even from the bench, in either of Conte’s first two games in charge.

His 60 appearances, in which he’s averaged 52 minutes on the pitch per game, has seen returns of just four goals and nine assists, meaning he provides a direct contribution in the final third once every 243 minutes – almost one in three matches, as per Transfermarkt.

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There have always been glimpses of promise, such as his stunning debut goal against Manchester City, but far too often he’s looked lightweight and completely out of sorts. Of course, he’s never had a proper run in the side and has dealt with numerous injuries.

However, his performance for the Netherlands in midweek will have certainly caught Conte’s eye. He did not play for them in their first game but he was their hero in their second, opening the scoring in the dying minutes against Norway to fire Louis van Gaal’s squad into next year’s World Cup.

As per SofaScore, the £25m-rated Spurs dynamo was the standout performer, having been handed an 8.8 rating – the best on the pitch. He also provided an assist for Memphis Depay’s goal just minutes later.

Bergwijn was a constant threat along the right flank, at both ends of the pitch – he managed to create five key passes, more than the other 21 players on the pitch combined, as well as one interception, two tackles, three accurate crosses and five duels won.

Spurs have looked toothless in the final third, so the Dutchman may have thrown himself into contention heading into the weekend with this statement showing as a similar performance to that would certainly aid Heung-min Son and Harry Kane up top.

Starting the winger dubbed “incredible” by ex-manager Jose Mourinho on Sunday would certainly be a big call to make, so the Italian may be kept up at night heading into kickoff following his impressive international outing.

AND in other news, Antonio Conte may already be repeating Nuno Santo’s fatal Spurs mistake…

Former Wolves loanee Vitinha has been linked with a return to Molineux, with a scout thought to have watched him in action for FC Porto recently.

The Lowdown: Vitinha impresses on loan

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Wolves, making 22 appearances overall and catching the eye with his mature performances.

Vitinha returned to Porto when his loan expired and he has made four Primeira Liga starts so far this term.

The Latest: Linked with return

According to Record [via Sport Witness], Wolves sent a scout to watch Porto’s 3-1 win away to Tondela, with officials from the likes of Valencia, Celta Vigo, Real Sociedad, Tenerife, Extremadura also thought to be present.

It is mentioned that Wolves could potentially be considering a permanent deal for Vitinha in either the January transfer window or next summer.

The Verdict: Shrewd potential business

This is positive news from a Wolves perspective, with Vitinha a player who would represent a long-term addition and someone who becomes more formidable as each year passes.

He may not have been perfect on loan at Molineux, but for a player of his age, he showed what he is capable of and why the club are seemingly watching him closely again. His 90.3% passing accuracy was the best of any Wolves starter in the 2020/21 Premier League and is far above the team’s 81.4% for the current campaign, so he could improve them significantly in this regard.

Some Porto fans have hailed his performances this season – one called him ‘better than prime Iniesta’ – which speaks volumes about the strides he is making. Also, with the 21-year-old already having a taste of Molineux, the readjustment to the Midlands should be fairly comfortable for him, particularly with another Portuguese manager at the helm in Bruno Lage.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly keen on a move for a hugely exciting young player. Read more here.

As Manchester City take on West Ham United in the Carabao Cup Last 16 this evening, with Pep Guardiola’s side aiming to win the competition for the fifth time in a row, many Sky Blues have been left unimpressed with the fist half performance of Kevin De Bruyne.

City, currently flying in the Premier League and in a strong European position, also have their eyes on clinching yet another Carabao Cup.

Guardiola’s men have beaten Arsenal, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham in that order since 2017/2018 and could make it a fifth this season if they manage to get past high-flying West Ham at the London Stadium.

In good form themselves, David Moyes’ side will be no pushovers and they’ve proved it so far – having given City a fairly tough test in east London.

The Sky Blues, playing a fairly second string side with the likes of Cole Palmer, Nathan Ake, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Zack Steffen handed starts, also certainly have the talent to get through this test.

One of the star men who hasn’t impressed so far though is De Bruyne, with the Belgian yet to truly influence proceedings akin to how he has over the past few seasons.

Some City supporters also believe he is yet to hit his best form so far this season, find all of their verdicts on his first half showing down below.

Man City fans slam De Bruyne…

“KDB’s form is alarming”

Credit: @fodeyyyyyy

“Goodness KDB’s form all season has been horrible”

Credit: @TwoPhonesJones3

“De Bruyne has been very sloppy this opening 20 mins.”

Credit: @Komps4

“De Bruyne is… jarring.”

Credit: @mvx_mcfc

“this kdb disasterclass”

Credit: @KunDB17

“Whats wrong with KDB? All his passes are failing”

Credit: @NoLimitGin0

“KDB is not playing this weekend”

Credit: @Zakade13

In other news: ‘Yessss’, ‘Big’, ‘This is huge’…Man City fans erupt as ‘great news’ comes to light, find out more here.

West Ham United advanced into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup after they defeated Manchester United  – and one name arguably stole the show.

Just a few days ago, the Irons suffered an agonising defeat to the Red Devils in the Premier League but here, David Moyes’ side were out for redemption in what was a rare victory at Old Trafford.

There were plenty of standout performers, with the likes of Issa Diop, ‘Man of the Match’ Craig Dawson and Alphonse Areola getting plenty of credit from supporters and press on social media.

But it was another player making his Hammers debut that looked top class against some big names.

Czech Republic midfielder Alex Kral joined the east Londoners on loan from Spartak Moscow, joining his international teammates Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal at the club, and he excelled in his first-ever competitive appearance.

The 23-year-old, who is valued at €15m (£13m) by CIES Football Observatory, was quite literally all over the pitch as he looked to fill the void left behind by his colossal countryman and Declan Rice.

Kral did his defensive duties astutely as he recorded a game-high five tackles and three interceptions, as per SofaScore. He also made two clearances and won a total of eight duels.

Indeed, this massively helped in the absence of the usual first-choice duo as Soucek averages 3.4 tackles per league outing and Rice averages 2.2 interceptions per outing, via WhoScored. He effectively did the job of both next to club captain Mark Noble, who undoubtedly made his job easier.

Further up the pitch, the 25-cap international provided one key pass, one successful dribble and a total of 47 touches, as per SofaScore.

“Loaning Alex Král with an option to buy at £12m looks like more smart business from West Ham,” claimed BBC Sport contributor Premier League Panel. “Superb defensive work vs Man Utd, as he constantly tracked runners in between the lines & made vital interventions (8 tackles/interceptions). Quality option to rotate with Rice & Soucek.”

And as football.london’s Tom Clark wrote in his post-match ratings, Kral ‘showed a willingness to get forward and broke into the Manchester United box on a number of occasions.’

Both reviews only reinforce the fact that Kral was an industrious presence at either end of the pitch on Wednesday night.

It was certainly an impressive debut from Kral and he has now surely given Moyes plenty to think about heading into their upcoming fixtures across the Premier League and Europa League.

AND in other news, Moyes’ big West Ham transfer clanger highlighted as David Ornstein transfer claim emerges…