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West Ham are in the market for a new central defender but there’s only one name that should be considered above the rest this summer…

What’s the word?

According to 90min, four Premier League teams have entered the race to clinch Manchester United outcast Chris Smalling, one of which are the Hammers who are keen on signing the Englishman.

Recently promoted Fulham, Everton and Newcastle United are also touted with interest.

It’s claimed that these teams would be willing to pay his reported £20m asking price but the player himself wants to decide which club he signs for next.

Serie A duo Inter Milan and Atalanta clearly liked what they saw from the 30-year-old whilst on loan at AS Roma as they too have been mooted as admirers.

Forget Duffy

Earlier this month, the Mirror (4th August, page 46) linked the Irons with a £10m move for Brighton back-up Shane Duffy, but if Smalling is available, then he’s someone they should move on from.

The 6 foot 4 centre-back has enjoyed a resurgent season in Italy – across 37 appearances, he won an average of 3.1 aerial duels, 3.9 clearances, 1.9 interceptions and a near 90% passing accuracy, via WhoScored.

Moyes’ side leaked 62 goals last season – only the bottom four conceded more – so it’s no wonder that the Scotsman wants a rejig at the back.

Roma boss Paulo Fonesca has been full of praise for Smalling after his success in the Italian capital, speaking to A Bola (via the Daily Mail) he said:

“He’s an extraordinary guy, very intelligent. He has characteristics that I really appreciate in the centre. He’s fast, nearly unbeatable in one-on-ones. He has a great ability to read the play and anticipate. He was very important for this club. If possible, I would like him to stay. He’s a great professional and person, it’s a pleasure to have him here with us.”

It’s ever so clear that Smalling has turned things around recently and don’t forget, he’s still racked up over 200 appearances in the Premier League, which is experience that could prove vital to avoiding another relegation battle.

On the other hand, Duffy could only start 12 matches this season, so if he’s not getting in the Seagull’s XI, then why should he at the London Stadium?

Smalling would be the smarter addition.

AND in other news, David Moyes must unleash “explosive” West Ham sensation next season…

Liverpool are ready to face off against League Two side Lincoln City in this evening’s Carabao Cup clash.

The Reds have a 100% win rate so far this term after emerging victorious from their opening two Premier League games. Now, they shift attention to their first cup run of the new season and there’s a high chance some key players will be rested.

Jurgen Klopp left yesterday’s press conference duties to Pep Lijnders, which could indicate the assistant manager will be running the show today.

With that being said, Transfer Tavern has predicted how Liverpool could lineup to take on the Imps, including six changes from the Chelsea game.

The Merseyside outfit will likely see this fixture as one they can win comfortably, and therefore will take the opportunity to rest important personnel ahead of Arsenal on Monday. However, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Jordan Henderson could make up a senior spine to keep things in order and ensure a win.

We could see full debuts handed to the trio of new signings Kostas Tsimikas, Thiago and Diogo Jota. The Spanish midfielder played well in his substitute appearance against Chelsea, maintaining a 90% passing rate and completing 10/12 long balls (via Sofascore).

With Fabinho perhaps starting alongside van Dijk in defence again, Henderson could support the backline, leaving room for youngster Curtis Jones further up the pitch.

The teenage midfielder has already proved he loves a cup match, after scoring Liverpool’s winning goal against Everton in the FA Cup fourth round last season.

In order to keep Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah rested up for Arsenal, Jota and Takumi Minamino could feature on the wings. The former Wolves man will want to grab the opportunity with both hands to show Klopp exactly what he is capable of.

His tally of 16 goals and six assists last season paints a very promising picture for his potential Liverpool debut. Roberto Firmino should keep his place up front.

How do you think Liverpool will line-up against Blackpool? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Frederic Guilbet is one of the players Aston Villa are looking to try and sell.

What’s the word?

Dean Smith’s side have enjoyed a stunning start to the new Premier League season, capping off a brilliant few weeks both on and off the pitch with a 7-2 thrashing of title holders Liverpool at Villa Park.

Having gotten a number of new signings already through the door, transfer deadline day for Villa may be more focused on outgoings, and Evans has suggested that Guilbert is someone who could be lined up for an exit.

In a Q&A for The Athletic, Evans responded: “I think players need to be moved on still because they will not feature so Villa aren’t getting any value for money. I expect the thinking behind trying to move on Guilbert is that, Elmohamady can cover any injuries at full-back, and also can’t really be moved on for any money, so Villa could get something back on Guilbert at least.

“I agree, there’s potential, but it seems like Smith has seen enough and favours others.”

Get Guilbert out

Earning around £40k-a-week at Villa, Guilbert is a player who the club could desperately do without. His wages are far too high for someone who has barely featured, making both of his appearances this season in the Carabao Cup, and not even being named in the match-day squad in the Premier League yet.

After arriving from French side Caens last summer, the right-back did play 25 times in the top-flight in his debut season at the club, but he badly fell out of favour following the Premier League’s restart – in fact, in the ten league games Villa played, Guilbet didn’t make the squad in eight of them, and played just 141 minutes.

Moving him on before the deadline on Monday night would free up big wages for Villa, and ensure that Johan Lange has enjoyed a successful transfer window both in terms of incomings and outgoings.

Lots of Everton fans have been hailing James Rodriguez as his impressive display versus Brighton and Hove Albion has been rewarded by EA Sports’ latest edition of FIFA.

As shared by the official Twitter page of the Merseyside club, the Colombia international has been given a spot in FIFA 21’s Team Of The Week (TOTW), as his new card boasts boosted stats following his two goals and one assist against the Seagulls in the Premier League at Goodison Park over the weekend.

Rodriguez was the standout performer according to Sofascore with a phenomenal 9.5 overall rating, the best score out of anyone on the pitch in the match.

The 29-year old also registered two successful dribbles, as well as boasting a 94% passing accuracy and making two key passes in total, as per the website.

Everton fan reaction to Rodriguez recognition

These EFC supporters hailed Rodriguez after reading the news of his recognition on Twitter, as one fan joked about his “frightening” pace…or lack thereof!

Evertonians, does Rodriguez deserve his recognition? Comment below!

There’s no doubting that Pablo Hernandez has been Leeds’ best player over the past few years.

The Spaniard became the first player in the club’s history to win three Player of the Year awards, but this season has been something of a slow burner for the 35-year-old.

He was injured in the first game of the season against Liverpool, and since then he hasn’t been seen in United’s starting XI.

Fortunately, he’s back fit appearing in two substitute cameos against both Wolves and Aston Villa, but we can’t help but feel that this is the role Hernandez may now have to accept going forward.

Marcelo Bielsa revealed last week that he sees Rodrigo as more of an attacking midfield option rather than a striking option, and you don’t spend a club-record fee on a player you’re just going to leave on the bench.

It’s also worth noting that Rodrigo is only getting better as the weeks go on, the 29-year-old was sublime against Villa playing two key passes, and getting into some really dangerous positions, getting four shots off.

The sad reality is that Hernandez may no longer be Leeds’ star man, and his new role may be as a substitute option.

The fact is that father time is undefeated, Hernandez turns 36 this season and the Premier League is so much faster than the Championship, so in his advanced years, he may not be athletic enough to be as integral as he was in the second-tier.

We all know how good he can be, but playing at such intensity for 90 minutes in such a fast league is a young man’s job, and Hernandez may have to come to terms with the fact that he doesn’t have that same speed he once had.

We’re sure he will still do a great job off the bench, after all, it was only last week that Alex McLeish was describing him as a ‘terrific’ player, but the arrival of Rodrigo may finally have seen him slip down the pecking order.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are arguably a centre-back light going into the January transfer window and now fresh reports have emerged linking them with a move for a Championship regular…

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Midlands outfit are one of several Premier League teams eyeing up Reading captain Liam Moore when the market re-opens in less than three months time.

It’s claimed that the likes of West Ham, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Newcastle United are all interested in the 6 foot 1 colossus with his former club Leicester City being named as the front-runners.

There is no mention of a potential fee among the claims, though the 27-year-old is valued at £4.95m by Transfermarkt having cost the Royals just £1.5m back in 2016.

Massive mistake

On the face of it, a swoop for Moore looks solid as he’s helped keep six clean sheets from seven outings in the Championship already this season.

Per WhoScored, the skipper is averaging 4.3 clearances, 3.1 aerial duels won, 1.1 interceptions and 0.9 tackles per game.

Whilst that’s fairly respectable, the lack of tackles is a worrying sight given Willy Boly (1.7), Romain Saiss (1.3) and Conor Coady (1.2) are managing more.

Wolves’ quarterback, who isn’t necessarily in that role for his ability to put a foot in, has even averaged more per match this term.

In addition to that, the Midlanders should have more lofty ambitions considering they were in the Europa League last season and look on track to repeat their qualification feat as they are sat tied for points with sixth-placed Leeds United.

Over the past 18 months, the club have been linked to much greater names too – Ruben Dias before his move to Manchester City in the summer, Robin Koch, who’s just joined the aforementioned Whites, new Arsenal colossus Gabriel, Juventus’ Daniele Rugani and Bilbao’s Unai Nunez.

All of which have done it on a much bigger stage than Moore.

Meanwhile, Max Kilman has recently shown he can step up to the plate to become a regular in the Premier League, winning the Man of the Match award against Leeds.

Romain Saiss has also done a sturdy job in the role too.

This move would certainly have more feels of Ryan Bennett, than one thinking of the ambitious future under Fosun. They didn’t get it right with Jesus Vallejo either.

Jeff Shi must avoid sanctioning this disaster at all costs.

AND in other news, Nuno cost Wolves vs Newcastle with dreadful 2nd half decision…

Wolves U23s manager James Collins heaped praise on youngster Theo Corbeanu after his performance against Doncaster Rovers in the Papa John’s Trophy.

Corbeanu has the world at his feet

The Canadian-born Romanian winger has only recently been introduced to the second string setup after scoring four goals and providing one assist in the U18 Premier League last season. Corbeanu has managed to replicate that form for Collins’ team, scoring twice from his first seven outings (via TransferMarkt).

The 18-year-old played just behind the club’s record signing Fabio Silva, as his Portuguese teammate notched a brace which helped them to a 2-1 win at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Cited by BirminghamLive, Collins was full of praise for Corbeanu and is excited about what is to come from him.

“He’s athletic, tall, can head it, can defend, can dribble past people and score, he can shoot, he can pass, he’s both footed, he’s got a bit of everything,” he said.

“Theo can be anything he wants to be,” Collins continues. “He’s an outstanding prospect. But, and there’s always a but with these players, he’s got to learn to play within the system and play with the others, adapt his game for different scenarios and situations.

“He’s got to keep improving and he knows that, he’s another good kid who wants to learn – but I think Theo can be as good as he wants to be.”

Transfer Tavern take

Corbeanu has made himself one of Collins’ key assets already during this campaign, which could force Nuno Espirito Santo into looking at him for possible first-team appearances further down the line.

Having played alongside Silva so competently, Corbeanu has put his name out there and supporters will now be more away of his ability, thanks to Collins’ generous words about him.

The former Romania U17 international needs to maintain his consistency and ensure that his attitude is spot on. If he can do that, the Molineux faithful could have another future star on their hands.

In other news, Wolves fans beg Nuno Espirito Santo to sign ‘monster’ midfielder.

Glasgow Rangers return to action this evening, as Steven Gerrard’s side host Benfica in the Europa League for the first time this season.

In what was a thrilling encounter from start to finish, the two sides shared the spoils in Lisbon after the Light Blues gave away a two-goal lead last time out. The result left both sides unbeaten in their last four outings in the Europa League, but Rangers will want to make amends when they take on the Portuguese giants tonight.

Gerrard’s side are currently unbeaten with 18 wins from 21 games in all competitions in total this term, whilst Benfica will be looking to rebuild having suffered back-to-back defeats to Boavista and Braga respectively before the international break.

Here at Football FanCast, we’ve worked on a predicted starting line-up, which sees the Rangers manager make three changes to the team that thumped Aberdeen at the weekend.

The Gers will be well aware that they could move three points clear of Jorge Jesus’ side at the top of Group D and qualify for the knockout stages, so Gerrard will want leave nothing to chance.

Allan McGregor is expected to keep his place between the sticks with Jon McLaughlin once again having to settle for a place on the bench.

It’s hard to imagine Gerrard making any changes to the back four, with Borna Barisic, Leon Balogun, Connor Goldson and club captain James Tavernier likely to start after keeping a second consecutive clean sheet in a row against Aberdeen.

Calvin Bassey could come off the bench, but we’re backing the Ibrox boss to keep his faith in Barisic, for now at least.

Ryan Jack remains a doubt after suffering an injury against Aberdeen, whilst Bongani Zungu has been ruled out due to injury, so bringing Steven Davis back into the fold alongside the in-form Glen Kamara makes sense, meaning Joe Aribo will be the man to drop out of the midfield three.

Kemar Roofe has been impressing on the right wing in recent weeks but Gerrard may opt to bring Ianis Hagi in on the right instead. The Romania international has been so strong in Europe since he first arrived at the Govan stadium, with two goals and an assist in six games in the Europa League (excluding the qualifying rounds) for the Gers so far.

Therefore, the ever-reliable Ryan Kent is likely to keep his place on the left flank with Alfredo Morelos leading the line once again.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must recall Steven Davis to face Benfica in Europa League on Thursday night…

West Ham United must flip their decision not to recall Felipe Anderson from his failing loan spell with FC Porto, amid reports that David Moyes has already decided the Brazilian’s future.

What’s the word?

According to reliable insider ExWHUemployee, the Irons have no interest in recalling Anderson from his season-long loan during the January window, despite Porto being far from impressed with the winger’s early efforts.

Anderson joined Sergio Conceicao’s side in October after the market for English clubs to sign players from abroad closed, having failed to start a single league game for the Hammers this season.

Moyes had favoured the £22.5m-rated Brazilian in each of the London Stadium’s EFL Cup ties, returning one goal and two assists, and did not expect to lose Anderson once the international market closed to English sides.

West Ham would have hoped to see Anderson revive his career with the Portuguese champions having been signed for a then-club-record £36m in 2018 but, instead, they have seen the 27-year-old feature for just 110 minutes across all competitions.

Anderson has started only once for Porto, coming in last week’s Tace de Portugal trip to third-tier G.D. Fabril, while Conceicao has also omitted the one-time Brazil international from three of his matchday squads – including his last two in Liga NOS.

Yet, despite Anderson being an outcast at the Estadio do Dragao, West Ham have no interest in recalling the forward this winter and as such, they will allow him to see out the season in Portugal.

U-turn needed

With Porto not overly impressed by Anderson’s performances and Conceicao showing a recent preference to omit the 27-year-old from his matchday plans, West Ham must make a U-turn on their decision not to recall the winger Moyes once lauded as a “technically gifted” player.

While the Irons’ deal with Porto saw the Liga NOS outfit pick up Anderson’s £85,000-per-week contract and pay a sizable loan fee to obtain his services for the season, West Ham will be in a far worse position next summer than they were this year with his current terms due to expire in 2022.

The east London club will be left in an awkward state of limbo were Anderson to stay away until the end of the campaign, as a torrid year in Portugal will see his market value continue its drastic decline that has seen TransferMarkt devalue the Brazilian by £18m since last December.

However, Anderson returning to the London Stadium this winter will afford Moyes and the Hammers hierarchy an opportunity to find a new home for the former Lazio star, one where he will be given the chances to find his best form again and hopefully help him maintain some of his value.

AND in other news, a pundit has exclusively claimed a 26-year-old ace would have been a “very good” West Ham signing.

Celtic will be thrilled to have finally bagged themselves a win after they beat Lille 3-2 in last night’s Europa League match. Unfortunately for the Hoops, they were already set to crash out of the competition, but the win will boost morale and put them in good stead to face Kilmarnock at the weekend.

Players like David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro were given their chance to shine and they did not disappoint. But for one man, his time at Celtic looks bleak after he didn’t even make it off the bench against the French outfit.

A cruel fate for Griffiths

Leigh Griffiths was named amongst the match day personnel, but was an unused substitute as Neil Lennon breathed a sigh of relief at full-time. With the Bhoys already out of the tournament, the manager could have deployed a weaker squad to rest key players ahead of Sunday. Indeed, this was the perfect chance for Griffiths to get some minutes in the tank after being left to gather dust in recent weeks.

But the Scotland international was overlooked once again and if Lennon stays in Glasgow, this could be the end of the devoted striker.

It will be a tough pill to swallow if this is where his path leads, especially since he recently specified his desire to make it into the top 20 highest scorers at the club. Griffiths joined the Hoops six years ago from Wolves and has scored 118 goals in 242 appearances, chalking himself down as a Celtic icon.

Should Lennon turn this season around and keep his job, it’s likely that the club will start looking to cash in on Griffiths, who is only expected to fall further and further down the pecking order.

In other news, Hammond must bring Gyrano Kerk to Parkhead to fill the puzzle…