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West Ham United need some respite from what has been a shocking start to 2024, with the chastening 6-0 home defeat against Arsenal leaving a pall of black smoke in east London.

It's a peculiar position; West Ham are outside of European contention in the Premier League only on goal difference, topped their Europa League group back in December and won the Europa Conference League last summer.

David Moyes is under fire and it would have been a bitter pill to swallow that it was Declan Rice, sold to Arsenal for £105m in the summer, who produced last weekend's talismanic performance at his old stomping ground.

It wouldn't be a bad move for Moyes to revisit his past success and promote a talented academy star to the first team, following in Rice's footsteps, with George Earthy producing some high-class performances this term.

West Ham's next Declan Rice

At the start of the 2023/24 campaign, homegrown talent Earthy penned a long-term contract with the Irons, clearly viewed by the club's powers that be as a future star in the first team.

A creative and attack-focused midfielder – who is also capable on the right flank – Earthy has been a prolific figure throughout his United youth career and has posted 37 goals and 25 assists across 102 matches, lauded for his "brilliant" displays by club insider ExWHUemployee.

This season, he has been in emphatic form, scoring nine goals and supplying six assists across 19 matches in all competitions and notably thriving in the EFL Trophy against senior opposition.

Indeed, as per Sofascore, the 19-year-old's three goal and one assist return from five matches in the EFL Trophy is an attractive tally but does not tell the full story of a remarkably rounded skill set, having completed 90% of his passes and averaged 1.4 goals and three ball recoveries per game.

He will definitely need to improve the defensive side of his game, making just 0.2 tackles and winning two duels each outing, but there is no questioning the thrilling quality woven into his core.

Indeed Rice was once at that stage, before going on to enjoy such glittering success rising through the ranks to the apex of Moyes' reign, completing 245 appearances, winning the club's past two Player of the Season awards and bringing riches – both monetarily and from a footballing standpoint – to the fore.

Having crashed out of the FA Cup against Championship outfit Bristol City last month and still seeking a maiden victory of the calendar year, Moyes needs to fashion some renewed positivity from somewhere and unleashing a talented academy member might be the perfect way to sway the fans back on his side.

Lucas Paqueta remains convalescent on the sidelines and will not return to action for several weeks, so a playmaker of Earthy's precocity could be the perfect tool to rekindle the feel-good factor that was so prominent at the London Stadium only a matter of months ago.

Former referee Mark Clattenburg has explained why the selection of Francois Letexier as the official for Euro 2024's final is a "big surprise".

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• Clattenburg shocked by selection
• Frenchman Letexier has officiated three Euro 2024 games
• Clement Turpin regarded as best referee in France

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Clattenburg has expressed his concern over the appointment of Letexier, who has officiated three games at the tournament thus far. He was in charge of Croatia's draw with Albania, Denmark's draw with Serbia, and Spain's 4-1 win over Georgia. However, he is not regarded as the best referee in France; instead, that is Clement Turpin.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Turpin did officiate at the tournament but Clattenburg believes he has been overlooked for the final because of his errors in Scotland's clash with Germany in the group stages. He was also in charge of England's draw with Slovenia and Netherlands' win over Turkey; in three games, he showed two red cards. Daniele Orsato, the Italian official, is also regarded as a top operator but Clattenburg believes his pending retirement means he would be unable to focus properly.

• WHAT CLATTENBURG SAID

  Clattenburg wrote in the Daily Mail: "UEFA's choice of Francois Letexier for Sunday’s final will come asa big surprise to a fair few in the refereeing world, including in France, where he is not even seen as their top official. 

  "That is Clement Turpin who, unlike Letexier, has the finals of theEuropa LeagueandChampions Leaguelisted on his C.V. 

  "My hunch is Turpin was overlooked for this one because of the mistakes he made in theEuro2024 opener between Scotland and Germany.

  "You cannot give it to an Englishman or a Spaniard for obvious reasons. Daniele Orsato of Italy is retiring after these Euros, so it would have been an emotional match for him to try to focus on refereeing fairly.

  "It was after analysing the list of candidates that UEFA chose Letexier, the 35-year-old from France appearing at his first international tournament. 

  "He’s officiated well at these Euros, keeping controversy to a minimum, but the most important match he has refereed up to now was the 2023 Super Cup between Manchester City and Sevilla. This will be a massive step up so the pressure is on."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  England will aim to win their first trophy in 58 years against Spain on Sunday.

Well, that was probably a bit tougher than it should've been.

Nevertheless, Chelsea beat bitter rivals Leeds United in the FA Cup last night, are through to the quarter-finals and have bounced back from their disappointing trip to Wembley.

Mauricio Pochettino's side were undoubtedly up against it at points during the 90 minutes, but the result feels like a fair reflection of the match.

While several players in Blue putting in lacklustre performances, a certain few can be pleased with their showing, including match-winner Conor Gallagher.

Conor Gallagher's performance in numbers

The Blues' hardworking all-action midfielder was named on the bench going into last night's clash, and following his multiple missed chances against Liverpool on Sunday, it was a position some players might've welcomed.

However, with the game locked at 2-2 and Leeds looking dangerous, Pochettino turned to the Englishman and brought him on in place of the underwhelming Noni Madueke in the 61st minute.

The 24-year-old didn't have the luxury of time to bed into the game, but while he misplaced a few passes and through balls early on, it took little time for him to get up to speed with the action.

It was 29 minutes into his cameo, in the 90th minute of the game, that he made the single most important contribution – he scored the winner.

This impact led to the Standard's Dan Kilpatrick awarding the Epsom-born dynamo an 8/10 on the night and claiming that he spared 'Chelsea another 30 minutes of extra-time and potentially their blushes.'

While his strike was undeniably his most tangible impact on the game, Gallagher also came off the pitch with some impressive personal statistics.

For example, he maintained a passing accuracy of 93%, succeeded in his one dribble, committed a single foul and lost possession just once.

Ultimately, the Blue's "heart", as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, won the game for his side, but there was another midfield ace who was arguably just as, if not more impressive last night.

Enzo Fernández's performance in numbers

Yes, Argentinian World Cup winner Enzo Fernández was arguably the best Chelsea player on the pitch against Leeds.

The 23-year-old started the game in the middle of the park alongside Moises Caicedo and played the full 94 minutes, contributing in the attacking and defensive phases of play.

It was his driving run and brilliantly placed pass that allowed Gallagher to score the winner in the first place, and while the Standard's Kilpatrick was impressed with his performance, crediting him for being 'tidy in possession', his rating of just 7/10 feels harsh given his influence on proceedings.

That said, he also criticised Fernández for getting 'carelessly booked', meaning he'll miss the quarter-final, which is a fair complaint.

However, the young "phenomenon", as Kulig dubbed him, put up some seriously impressive individual numbers on the night, numbers that make the case for him being the man of the match.

For example, in his 94 minutes, he took 67 touches, maintained a passing accuracy of 94%, played two key passes, was successful in four of his five long balls, had one shot on target, won nine of his 14 duels, lost possession just six times, made two clearances, two interceptions, and five tackles.

Ultimately, Gallagher deserves a lot of credit for his match-winning contribution.

Mykhailo Mudryk to Arsenal takes twist as Chelsea stance revealed

The Ukrainian was subject to intense interest from the Gunners last year.

By
Emilio Galantini

Feb 28, 2024

However, he might not have even been in the position to win the game were it not for Fernández's tireless efforts throughout the 90.

Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy have been told they could be set for a "huge loss" on another one of their players this summer, with it looking likely that a fair few don't have a future under Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs players who could leave the club this summer

While Postecoglou's arrival has helped to transform certain players, there are also those who have become surplus to requirements.

Suggestion Ange doesn't want player with attitude problem at Tottenham

He doesn’t seem to have a future at the club.

By
Emilio Galantini

Mar 5, 2024

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, once a mainstay under Antonio Conte, Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho, is now mainly a back-up and has made the vast majority of his appearances from the substitutes bench this season. The Dane has been regularly linked with a Spurs exit for quite some time but elected to remain in the January window, which is the same for young winger Bryan Gil.

Gil is being tipped to leave Tottenham in the summer, though, given his decision to stay in north London hasn't resulted in more minutes on the pitch.

There is also the small matter of Spurs players out on loan, with Tanguy Ndombele, Joe Rodon, Djed Spence, Japhet Tanganga and Sergio Reguilon all out on temporary spells and facing uncertain futures at the club. The latter is currently on loan at Brentford, where he's made seven league appearances and registered an assist for Thomas Frank's side.

Postecoglou doesn't appear to favour Reguilon, as the Spaniard was shipped out to Brentford immediately after a previous half-season loan at Man United earlier in the campaign.

Tottenham told they are set for "huge loss" on Reguilon

Signed from Sevilla in 2020 for around £28 million, Reguilon hasn't quite realised his potential in north London and is out of contract next year.

Speaking to Tottenham News, club expert John Wenham, who sometimes breaks news on his Lilywhite Rose social media channels, believes Levy is set for a "huge loss" on Reguilon at Spurs this summer.

“I know he has featured for Brentford, but with a year left on his contract this summer it is hard to imagine Spurs getting any more than £8million for him, which is a huge loss.

“A lot of people have told me that Reguilon should have been kept as a backup left-back rather than Ben Davies, but people seem to forget that Postecoglou did have a close look at him in pre-season.

“He started Reguilon in three or four of those games and decided that he wasn’t for him. Reguilon is very chaotic, he is not good defensively and he needs to be moved on.”

The former La Liga ace, who once featured in the division's Team of the Year in 2019/2020, has certainly dwindled after first joining Tottenham with a lot of promise – so it remains to be seen exactly how much Levy and co can recuperate for him.

Casemiro has been tipped to stay at Manchester United amid reports of transfer interest from Saudi Arabia.

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• New update on Casemiro transfer
• Brazilian linked with Saudi Pro League
• Set to retain squad role with Man Utd

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , the heavily rumoured possibility that Casemiro could leave Old Trafford for a wealthy club in the Saudi Pro League is less likely than it was. The interest is described as "cooling of late". However, a departure later in the summer window is still not completely off the table.

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  After an excellent debut season, Casemiro's form dipped in 2023-24 and his departure, largely because of weekly wages thought to be around £350,000, has been a central part of the rebuilding narrative that has followed United since Sir Jim Ratcliffe's partial takeover. The most obvious destination for a high earner over the age of 30 has been Saudi Arabia.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Fabrizio Romano has a slightly different view, suggesting that Saudi Pro League interest has not necessarily cooled, but rather the lack of progress in any transfer is relatively normal over the complex nature of it. He said in a : "The exit of Casemiro remains an important part of the story [of Man Utd pursuing Manuel Ugarte], but honestly guys, I can't confirm anything regarding rumours that United are having trouble selling him…no. Interest from Saudi in Casemiro remains but sometimes it just takes time to agree on contract, transfer fee and more."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CASEMIRO?

  Casemiro has been captaining Manchester United during pre-season, with Bruno Fernandes on holiday after Euro 2024. That is likely to continue in the short-term and highlights how Erik ten Hag sees the Brazilian as part of this squad. The Red Devils fly to the United States in the coming days to begin a summer tour, facing Arsenal in Los Angeles on July 27.

Barcelona are reportedly ready to meet Dani Olmo's release clause, while also harbouring a desire to land his compatriot Nico Williams.

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• Olmo stars for Spain in Euros triumph
• Barca, Man City & Bayern eye transfer
• Catalans ready to sign him and Williams

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Olmo's stock skyrocketed during Euro 2024, with his three goals playing a huge part in reclaiming the title they last won in 2012. Barcelona, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Liverpool are interested in the RB Leipzig star but according to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan outfit may get there first.

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  The report adds the 26-year-old's £50.5m ($66m/€60m) release clause expires on July 20 but Barca have 'managed to negotiate an extension for a few more weeks'. Despite the club's well-known financial issues, they are reportedly ready to offer the attacking midfielder a six-year deal – with a salary that rises after the first two seasons. They also are keen on signing Athletic Club and Spain winger Williams, too, with the 22-year-old reportedly the Blaugrana's top target.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Olmo spent nearly seven years at Barcelona's academy between 2007-2014 before joining Dinamo Zagreb. Back in early 2023, the Spain international said he "wanted to go back sometime, it will be great" and last week he hinted his time in Germany could be coming to an end.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Olmo, who is currently on his holidays following the Euro 2024 win, has a contract that runs until 2027 at Leipzig. Whether Barcelona will meet the release clause and move for him remains to be seen, especially amid their financial troubles.

A senior Tottenham official has been sent to run the rule over a club's star mainstay defender recently, with technical director Johan Lange's preparations for the window well and truly underway.

Spurs eyeing new centre-back signing for Ange

Despite bringing in Radu Dragusin from Genoa in January for around £25 million, reports over the last few weeks have claimed that Ange Postecoglou and co are eager to bolster their back line further.

Tottenham could move for £43m star in "one of the biggest transfer stories"

Spurs threaten to derail Arsenal and Chelsea’s plans.

By
Emilio Galantini

Mar 11, 2024

Spurs are among the suitors for Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly, for instance, with the Englishman's contract expiring this summer. He may soon be a readily available free agent, and his top-flight experience makes him a very good option for the north Londoners.

A more ambitious open who's also been floated is Everton starlet Jarrad Branthwaite, coming amid his impressive season at Goodison Park as he puts himself in the conversation for a call-up to England's Euro 2024 squad.

There have been suggestions that Spurs wish to sign two "top-level" centre-backs in 2024, and with Dragusin sealed, they're set to go for another in the summer.

"The situation hasn't changed, and Tottenham have always intended to sign two top-level centre-backs across 2024," said journalist Dean Jones to GiveMeSport recently, who listed other potential targets.

"They’ve got one through the door, and now, in the summer window, the plan is to go after another. Calafiori and Morato might be mentioned now, but the net is being cast wider than that. They’ve got some interesting options opening up to them. Still, from what I understand, they’re not committing at this stage, even though they want to make early moves in the summer transfer window similar to how they did in the winter market.”

In these last two windows, the Lilywhites have shown a trend of buying young stars for their backline, with both Dragusin and Micky van de Ven under the age of 23. This indicates they're also considering the long-term and another defensive target with many years left ahead of him is Hull City centre-back Jacob Greaves.

Senior Tottenham official sent to Hull as Lange eyes Greaves

According to a report in The Mirror's print edition [10/03/2024], via TBR, Spurs sent a "senior" scout to run the rule over Greaves earlier this month as Postecoglou's side seemingly take an interest in the Englishman.

Tipped to be a "special" player by Grant McCann, Greaves has started 36 Championship matches as a mainstay for the Tigers, even bagging two goals and four assists in that time.

"The kid is going to be special, it’s as simple as that," said former Hull boss McCann, who exposed him to first-team football early doors.

"We don’t want him to have a dead year and when I say a dead year I think he’s beyond Under 23s football. We’re working hard trying to do that at the minute so we can get him exposed to men’s football."

The Arsenal hierarchy are supposedly remaining calm regarding Mikel Arteta's contract situation at the club, despite it expiring in just one year.

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• Arsenal 'zen' over Arteta contract
• Gunners boss' deal ends in 2025
• Arsenal take on Manchester United

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Arteta is believed to want to remain, and Arsenal wish to keep the Spaniard who has transformed the club since his appointment in December 2019. However, Arteta is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal that would extend his stay at Arsenal beyond the upcoming season, but the Gunners board are not panicking – yet. But, as per , the longer the talks drag on, the more frantic the Arsenal board could become to keep Arteta at the helm.

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  WHAT THE REPORT SAID

  On the contract situation, it is reported that despite Arteta's contract entering its final year, the situation is 'strangely zen'. All parties want to find an agreement and it is just a matter of timing to settle the finer details. However, it could become an issue if things drag on.

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Contract discussions do take time and all reports suggest Arteta will continue in north London beyond this campaign. Yet, until those terms are sealed, uncertainty will hang over the Spaniard's future. With Pep Guardiola's contract at Manchester City also expiring at the end of the season, City may attempt a bold move to snatch away Guardiola's former assistant from their main title rivals. Barcelona have also been linked with a move with Arteta, although those rumours have subsided following the appointment of Hansi Flick.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ARTETA?

  Arteta is well and truly immersed in pre-season preparations and his side take on Manchester United on Saturday in their second game of their tour of the US. The Arsenal board will be hopeful of tying down their manager to new terms and clear up any doubts before the start of the season. Arsenal may be 'zen' and confident Arteta will remain at the club, but it is unclear how long that level of calm will remain as time ticks on.

Newcastle United turn their attention away from the Premier League this evening as they prepare to travel to The Etihad to take on Manchester City in the FA Cup.

The Magpies have a chance to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup, which would be their second trip to Wembley since the start of last year after the League Cup final in 2023.

Eddie Howe's side head into this match against the reigning champions of the competition off the back of a 3-2 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

Newcastle, despite the tight scoreline, were comfortably beaten by the Blues – who were 3-1 up before Jacob Murphy's stoppage-time stunner – on the night in a game that appeared to pass too many players in black and white by.

Joe Willock was one of those who struggled in London as he failed to showcase the best of his abilities in the middle of the park, which is why Howe must ruthlessly ditch him from the starting XI to unleash Lewis Miley from the start.

Joe Willock's stats against Chelsea

The former Arsenal academy graduate lined up alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff in central midfield, and was unable to impress.

He played the opening 80 minutes of the match, by which point Newcastle were 3-1 down, and struggled in and out of possession throughout the game.

Willock lost 60% (6/10) of his ground duels in midfield as Chelsea's players found it too easy to get the better of him in physical contests on the night, with Moises Caicedo, Conor Gallagher, and Enzo Fernandez winning the battle in that area of the park.

Meanwhile, the English whiz only made one key pass – and did not create any 'big chances' for his teammates – in possession and completed 86% of his attempted passes, along with zero shots on target.

These statistics show that the 24-year-old dynamo, who had the lowest Sofascore rating (6.5) of the three starting midfielders, did not make a big impact on or off the ball for the Magpies.

Willock, who completed just one of his five attempted dribbles, did not provide strong defensive work to keep Chelsea at bay and did not use his ability in possession to make things happen in the final third to drag his team back into the match.

It has been a frustrating season for the midfielder as he has missed a whopping 30 games through injury, with hamstring and Achilles issues, which has restricted him to just six appearances and three starts in the Premier League this term.

As you can see in the table above, Willock was handed a start in the last FA Cup match against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park but was taken off after 61 minutes following a dismal display – understandably given his injury issues – in midfield.

His fitness problems and lack of good form – possibly due to his spells on the sidelines – is a real shame as the Magpies maestro enjoyed a terrific 2022/23 campaign.

Joe Willock's creative quality for Newcastle in 22/23

The Newcastle star was fit for the majority of last season as he featured in 35 of the club's 38 Premier League matches on their way to Champions League qualification.

Willock did struggle in front of goal as a finisher, with just three strikes from an Expected Goals of 7.00, but did showcase his ability as a creator for Howe.

The 24-year-old gem created 12 'big chances' for his teammates in 31 Premier League starts, which led to him registering six assists for the team.

He ranked within the top 10% of Premier League midfielders for assists (0.21) per 90, and the top 9% for Expected Assisted Goals (0.21) per 90, which shows that the Toon whiz was one of the best players in his position at creating high-quality opportunities in the final third.

Willock also ranked within the top 6% of his positional peers for progressive carries (3.41) per 90, which shows that he could drive his team up the pitch in possession.

Unfortunately, his injury woes have stunted his progress this season and Howe must now brutally ditch him from the XI to unleash Miley against Manchester City, as the Magpies may not be able to afford a poor display from Willock against the likes of Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne.

Lewis Miley's impressive emergence this season

The 17-year-old academy graduate has emerged as a genuine first-team option for Newcastle this season with his impressive performances in the middle of the park.

He has made 17 appearances in the Premier League so far this term and caught the eye with one goal, three assists, and three 'big chances' created in 14 starts.

Interestingly, Miley currently ranks within the top 11% of midfielders in the English top-flight for assists (0.22) per 90, which shows that he is creating goals for his teammates at a similar rate to Willock last season.

As you can see in the table above, the two English midfielders are also similar when it comes to the defensive side of the game, as they both average between two and three tackles and interceptions per game.

However, Miley has won more than half of his physical duels throughout the season, whereas Willock was a little bit weak in his battles during the 2022/23 campaign, and this suggests that he could offer more physicality against Rodri and De Bruyne in midfield.

U23 scout Antonio Mango hailed the academy graduate's transition to first-team football as "remarkable" and these statistics back that up, as the 6 foot 1 star has performed at an impressive level despite his age and inexperience.

He has offered similar quality, offensively and defensively, in comparison to Willock when the ex-Gunners whiz was fit and playing regularly last term, which is why Howe must now replace the underperforming 24-year-old with Miley for this clash with City.

Famous rap artist Drake helped newly promoted Serie A side Venezia escape bankruptcy last year.

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• Drake saved Venezia from bankruptcy
• Finished third in Serie B to secure promotion
• Phone call convinced rapper to bail them out

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Venice-based club were on the brink of declaring themselves bankrupt after spending heavily to strengthen their squad during the 2022-23 season in order to keep themselves afloat in the Italian second division.

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  The club signed close to 30 players to survive relegation to Serie C during the 2022-23 season, but the massive spending took a toll on their financial health as they then had to sell players to raise money, or risk falling to Serie D. That is when club co-owner Brad Katsuyama got in touch with Drake's brand officer Matte Babel to explain their situation. Soon enough, the musician was on board to bail the club out financially.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Speaking to on the deal between Drake and the club, Babel said: "I got a call from Brad, co-owner of Venezia and a good friend of mine. He laid out the problem to me in a simple way: Venezia has to raise €10 million in a couple of weeks, and then at least €30 million in a few months, or the club will go bankrupt.

  "Venice is an incredible city and Venezia has always been a special club. I spoke to Drake, then Brad and I discussed the details of how we could help. Within two weeks we had a deal, raised the money needed to pay the salaries and avoid bankruptcy."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR VENEZIA?

  Drake's contribution helped the Winged Lions massively as they finished third in Serie B in the 2023-24 campaign and secured a place in the top division. They will kick off the new season on Sunday with a game against Brescia in the Coppa Italia.