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West Bromwich Albion could be set for a January transfer battle in order to retain the services of Darnell Furlong.

What’s been said?

That’s according to Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield, who suggested in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that a number of Premier League clubs could be monitoring the progress of the West Brom right-back ahead of a potential swoop in the January transfer window.

Speaking about the potential interest in the 26-year-old, Hatfield said: “Premier League clubs, will they be considering him? Maybe they’ll be looking at him. There are defensive issues to think about.

“If you’re playing him in a four, defensively he maybe lets a little bit too much go. But if you’re thinking of an attacking full-back or a wing-back, then he suits that role down to the ground.”

Fans would be fuming

Furlong has become an important player for West Brom since his £1.53m move from Queens Park Rangers in 2019, and should the Baggies lose the services of the defender in January, it would undoubtedly enrage fans of the club.

Indeed, over his 15 Championship appearances so far this season, the £4.5m-rated defender has helped his side to keep six clean sheets, registered two assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.5 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

The player who Glenn Murray dubbed an “exceptional” talent has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making 1.1 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 1.7 clearances and winning 7.3 duels per match.

These returns have seen the £15k-per-week right-back average a SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Valerien Ismael’s joint third-best performer in the Championship.

As such, considering his overall level of performance this season, and that the 26-year-old is the Frenchman’s only senior option on the right-hand side of defence, selling Furlong this winter would be a big mistake on West Brom’s part – and could well see the Baggies’ push for promotion fall short.

In other news: West Brom’s £21k-p/w ace who lost 66% duels had a “howler” against Fulham

West Ham United return to Europa League action as they welcome Genk to the London Stadium this evening.

David Moyes and his side will be looking to keep up their 100% win record in Group H and they will be buoyed with confidence from the weekend’s narrow but convincing 1-0 victory over Everton.

The Scotsman will surely be tempted to rotate his starting XI, as he often has done in this competition, especially with the small matter of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

One player who is surely in line to start is Craig Dawson, who has a pretty remarkable record when playing for the club, notching a 63.5% win rate. He played from the off in the 2-0 win over Rapid Wien but not against Dinamo Zagreb.

His involvement could hand a rest to either Angelo Ogbonna or Kurt Zouma ahead of this weekend’s London derby, and as evident above, he can definitely be relied upon.

In fact, the Hammers’ only two losses this season have come when he has not played any involvement whatsoever.

The 6 foot 2 colossus has been described as a “leader” by former Hammer defender Anton Ferdinand, so the presence of the Italian beast will not be completely missed and whoever partners him, likely to be Issa Diop, will be in safe hands too.

Furthermore, Genk’s major weakness is from set-pieces, where they have already leaked a whopping ten goals, so the presence of Dawson could terrify them in east London tonight.

“In Belgium, they dominated the games that they lost. But they missed too many chances and conceded too many easy goals. Already ten from set pieces, especially against West Ham that can become a big problem,” explained journalist Marnik Geukens to football.london.

Dawson is a massive threat from set-pieces, so it would be wise for Moyes to start him tonight.

“I enjoyed working with Dawson and he’s the best attacker of set pieces that I’ve ever come across in my managerial career,” once claimed former Irons boss Alan Pardew.

The £42.5k-per-week star must be unleashed at the London Stadium this evening.

AND in other news, Get rid: Moyes must now axe shocking West Ham disaster, he has cost GSB £3.9m per goal…

Crystal Palace have been offered the chance to sign Paris Saint-Germain left-back Layvin Kurzawa, according to Foot Mercato, cited by Sports Witness.

And, as to be expected, a number of Eagles fans have been giving their thoughts to the links on social media.

Patrick Vieira has just one senior left-back at Selhurst Park on the books at this moment in time in Tyrick Mitchell.

Foot Mercato, cited by Sports Witness, claim that Kurzawa could end up at Palace, with Vieira validating the French full-back’s profile.

The 28-year-old has been with PSG since 2015 and is under contract for a further three years, however, it seems as if a move to London could be on the cards.

Kurzawa is after a new challenge and a late transfer to Palace has been labelled as one to keep an eye on.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the links to Kurzawa on Twitter. This is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply, with one describing a possible transfer as ‘class’.

“ON MY KNEES”

Credit: @BMCPFC

“Get this done and a rb and I’ll be able to sleep again”

Credit: @alexjserre

“yes please”

Credit: @FPLWILSON

“This would be class for the odd moment of brilliance and a general feeling of do better/stop getting booked”

Credit: @CPFC_GH

“PLEASE”

Credit: @ScottyStacks

“Yes please?”

Credit: @hazvaughan

In other news: Palace may have made cash offer for ‘intelligent’ 5’8″ ace at the peak of his powers.

Leeds United would be making a major howler by signing Chelsea outcast Ross Barkley in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are eyeing up a swoop for the English midfielder, and now, journalist Pete O’Rourke has delivered an update on the situation.

He said: “They do like him (Barkley), but I don’t think it’s a major priority for Marcelo Bielsa to bring in another attacking midfielder.”

Massive howler from Leeds

While Leeds undeniably could do with some reinforcements in the January transfer window – injuries have more than taken their toll on Bielsa’s side – a swoop for an injury-prone ace who has played just 51 Premier League games in the last three years doesn’t seem like the best fit.

Earning a reported £100k-per-week, Barkley endured a woeful campaign while on loan at Aston Villa last season, managing only three goals and one assist in the top-flight – in fact, following the end of January, the midfielder netted no goals whatsoever.

And, speaking on The Athletic’s 1874 podcast, Aston Villa correspondent Gregg Evans slammed: “He doesn’t do enough for me now. I’ve seen enough of Ross Barkley now to realise that he’s becoming a bit of a liability for Villa. He’s not helping out enough as he should, really.”

Barkley has faced numerous injury problems that have really plagued his career since really making his breakthrough at Everton, and given his big wages too, he doesn’t scream a player who could really take Leeds to the next level.

The last thing the Whites need in January is another player to sit on the treatment table and barely make it onto the pitch, in what could be a crucial second-half of the campaign given the kind of season they’ve had thus far.

Barkley hasn’t proven himself to be a reliable performer who Bielsa could count on week-in and week-out, and that’s not even to mention the lack of end product when he does actually get himself on the pitch either – he’s scored just seven goals in the Premier League in the past three seasons.

Victor Orta would be heading for a significant Leeds nightmare with a swoop for Barkley and fans would surely be fuming.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this Uruguayan star…

Tottenham Hotspur’s chances of sealing a move for Lautaro Martinez this month seem rather slim after a major update emerged that won’t please many Spurs supporters…

What’s the word?

Over the weekend, reports surfaced suggesting that the North London outfit had agreed a £60m fee for the Inter Milan striker, with Spurs targeting him as a potential partner for Harry Kane, rather than a replacement.

However, according to Fabrizio Romano, this was before they sold Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea, so it seems unlikely that they would offload both of their first-choice forwards in the same window.

Speaking on Sky Sports News (as relayed by Football Daily), the renowned Italian transfer expert said:

“The interest is genuine because it’s true that Tottenham want Lautaro Martinez. They’ve been in talks with his agent, with Inter about Lautaro Martinez, so it’s true that there is a strong interest from Tottenham but it’s something that they wanted to do before Inter sold Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea.

“It was about last week, that’s why the situation now is not easy.

“Inter state that they want to keep Lautaro Martinez at the club. They are convinced that Lautaro will be staying because they sold Lukaku, and they sold Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain, so they don’t need money right now. And that’s why I think that this deal with Tottenham will be complicated.”

Bad news

This development will come as a blow to many around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Nuno Santo is thought to be eager to deploy a two-man attack system, in which another frontman is needed to partner Kane. But they have missed out on Danny Ings, who has joined Aston Villa, and now appear to have been ruled out of the Martinez race.

It means that the Portuguese cannot play the formation he desires just yet as the England international is his only senior striker – and he’s only just returned from holiday.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-team-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

Furthermore, Romano’s claim is sure to upset much of the Lilywhites faithful who were desperate to see the Argentina talisman join this month.

When The Times’ Gary Jacob first revealed their interest over the weekend, many supporters erupted at the news – some pondered whether it was a dream, whilst others lauded sporting director Fabio Paratici.

“Would love this to be true,” said one fan, whilst another added: “If this is true Paratici needs a statue built outside the stadium,” as relayed by This is Futbol.

Martinez provided 19 goals and 11 assists as the Italian giants ended their decade-long Serie A hoodoo last season, so it’s no wonder there were plenty of Spurs supporters keen to see him signed.

They’ll now be fuming at this latest claim as it looks like their club acted too late.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Kane: £40.5m-rated “nightmare” is “on Tottenham’s radar”, Nuno would love him…

Speaking to Claret & Hugh, a West Ham United source has lifted the lid on a concern the club have involving star striker Michail Antonio.

The Lowdown: Antonio and the treatment table…

Throughout 2020/2021, Antonio starred for West Ham up front and was arguably one of manager David Moyes’ most important figures, when available that is.

Early on, pundit Harry Redknapp was just one of the media figures who took notice of his displays for the east Londoners – branding him ‘frightening’ on Sky Sports News (via the Boot Room).

The 31-year-old, whilst ending the campaign as the Hammers’ joint-top goalscorer in the Premier League with 10 goals (WhoScored), also spent a lot of time on the treatment table – missing 97 days of the season and 13 games in total (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Hammers source lifts lid on concern…

Lifting the lid on a concern involving Antonio, a West Ham United source from within the club has told C&H there are worries surrounding his inclusion in Jamaica’s preliminary squad for the Concacaf Gold Cup.

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The competition starts on July 11 and the forward’s decision to make himself available for Jamaica has prompted fears inside West Ham.

Moyes was allegedly hoping Antonio would have a quiet and restful summer, but should he be called up for their final squad, this could complicate matters.

“Obviously it’s an honour for the player and no one really wants to deprive him of it but the last thing we want is for him to become injured ahead of the new season.” explained the source to C&H.

The Verdict: Right to be concerned…

Antonio’s hamstring troubles are well documented and West Ham are right to be worried given his age, fragility and the fact they could be set for a long season with their involvement in the Europa League.

This could make the signing of a new striker to reinforce Moyes’ forward options as crucial as ever with still no sign of West Ham making concrete advancements in that department.

If he does in fact make Jamaica’s final cut, supporters will be hoping he can handle the heat while the Hammers work on bringing in adequate cover.

In other news: ‘YES YES YES’, ‘I soooo hope this is true’…Many West Ham fans flock to transfer claim, find out more here.

Steve Bruce has now dealt a triple injury blow to Newcastle United ahead of their game at home to Leeds United in the Premier League on Friday night.

The Lowdown: Pressure mounts

There is now significant pressure on Bruce to get a result against Marcelo Bielsa’s team at St. James’ Park.

The North East club currently sit in 19th place in the Premier League table on just one point, with the Whites sat just above them in 17th (Premier League).

The Latest: Team news

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against the Whites, Bruce has now revealed that it will come ‘too soon’ for Callum Wilson, Jonjo Shelvey and Paul Dummett.

It means that he will now have to try and find a way to get a result without three of his first-team players.

The Verdict: Body blow

It certainly is a blow for the Tyneside outfit to be without all three players against the Elland Road faithful, especially the firing power that Wilson possesses.

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The striker has already managed to score two goals in three matches in total so far this term (Transfermarkt), and could well have made the difference at the top end of the pitch, with Leeds missing three centre-backs through injury or suspension.

Nonetheless, other players in the squad will have to step up now in what looks to be a vital fixture already in the race to avoid being relegated down to the EFL Championship.

In other news, find out which Magpies have trained ahead of the clash here!

Flocking to Twitter, many Tottenham Hotspur fans have been blown away by training footage of unseen talent Joshua Oluwayemi, with some pleading that he gets game-time this season.

The goalkeeper, yet to make a senior competitive appearance for Spurs in all competitions (Transfermarkt), spent part of last campaign on loan at Maidenhead United in the National League.

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Appearing in just one match for the non-league outfit, Oluwayemi conceded two goals in 44 minutes before he returned to Spurs and their under-23s side midway through the 2020/21 season.

The 20-year-old went on to feature 12 times for Tottenham in Premier League 2 before finishing up the campaign, but it’s safe to say that he has now turned heads on social media for what he has done at Hotspur Way.

Dropping footage on Twitter, Spurs’ official channel released a clip of Oluwayemi making a fantastic acrobatic save and immediately recovering the ball upon spilling.

As a result, many Lilywhites supporters have been left excited, with some hoping that he gets a chance under first team manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

Check out some of their best verdicts on his “mad” heroics below.

Spurs fans wowed by Oluwayemi footage…

“Needs some game time this season, we’re blessed with good young keepers, Whiteman, Austin and Oluwayemi…”

Credit: @oculyss

“The future”

Credit: @DeleSZN_

“Generational”

Credit: @denchie20

“Jeeeeeez”

Credit: @N17_James

“This boy”

Credit: @thfc_MK

“Mad”

Credit: @Sampear21981307

“I might have to invest in some Oluwayemi stocks huh”

Credit: @evlogia_7

In other news: ‘Useless’, ‘Sell’, ‘Giving me a migraine’…Spurs fans blast ‘awful, awful’ ace vs Palace, it’s not Davies or Tanganga – find out more here.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League manager Lawrie Sanchez thinks Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish could start having regrets over letting Roy Hodgson go.

Hodgson and the south London club parted ways at the end of the season and it has been a bit of a nightmare for Parish finding a replacement.

After considering a host of names, Palace looked to have found their man in ex-Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo. However, talks broke down at the last minute, forcing the Eagles to turn elsewhere.

On Palace’s manager situation, Sanchez said in an exclusive interview with FFC:

“Steve Parish will later on think, ‘You know what? I quite like Roy. He wasn’t high-maintenance, he did the job, he kept us up and we kept our money every year. This is turning into a pain in the neck and they’ll be no guarantees we’re going to do any better.’ ”

During Hodgson’s four seasons at the club, Palace finished 11th, 12th and 14th twice in the Premier League. Simply put, they were never really in any real danger of being relegated under the Englishman.

He was quite a safe bet compared to someone like Frank de Boer, who he took over from, with the Netherlands manager having the Eagles almost rock bottom before his dismissal.

Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster is now ‘in a strong position’ to earn himself a new contract with the club after a run of impressive performances, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

The Lowdown: Forster’s contract at Southampton

The England international is set to be out of contract this summer upon the expiry of his latest extension, which he signed in 2017.

Somewhat surprisingly, the 34-year-old is Southampton’s second-highest earner, currently taking home a staggering £70,000 per week. This significantly trumps some of the club’s star players, including the likes of James Ward-Prowse, who earns a reported £45,000 per week.

As a result, the vast figures involved in his current contract have raised question marks over whether the former Celtic stopper will be offered a fresh deal by Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side when it comes to the end of the season.

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The Latest: Barclay’s claim on Forster

Barclay believes that Forster’s recent performances and fine form has been able to convince Hasenhuttl that the veteran goalkeeper deserves to remain with the club next season.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, the reporter claimed: “I think he’s put himself in a really good position. It’s quite a turnaround given the situation he was in earlier this season. He was very much expected to leave given he is on big wages.

“He has definitely put himself in a strong position. I don’t think talks have begun yet on that front, so it’s not a done deal so to speak, but it could be quite likely that he will be given a new contract now.”

The Verdict: Deserves to stay

Following the long-term injury sustained by Alex McCarthy in December, Forster has subsequently played every Premier League game for which he has been available.

During this time, he has strung together a number of fantastic performances which even saw him receive a call-up to the England national team. Indeed, Hasenhuttl singled the goalkeeper out recently after his acrobatic saves earnt Southampton three points against a Champions League-chasing Arsenal side.

Therefore, having made a resurgence back in the first XI, Forster deserves to keep his place in this Saints team next season and will have earned any new deal potentially awarded to him.

In other news: Christian Falk reveals Southampton interest in one Bundesliga star