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David Moyes has confirmed that West Ham United will be without midfielder Pablo Fornals against Arsenal on Sunday due to injury, which should prove beneficial for Jarrod Bowen.

Fornals was forced to sit out the Irons’ 1-0 defeat to Manchester United last week after sustaining a groin issue and is not expected to overcome the blow in time for the London derby.

The Spaniard had regained a regular role in Moyes’ plans before the Hammers’ trip to Old Trafford, with the 25-year-old starting three straight Premier League fixtures.

Fornals had only enjoyed a single six-minute cameo in West Ham’s previous three top-flight games before opening the action against Tottenham Hotspur last month, and remained in the side for subsequent meetings with Manchester City and Leeds United.

Moyes will once again be unable to field the £16.2m-rated playmaker when West Ham host Mikel Arteta’s Gunners this weekend, as one of several players due to be sidelined.

“We’ve got just about everybody the same [as last week],” Moyes said on Friday. “Pablo Fornals is improving, and, on the injury front, Angelo Ogbonna is closing in and getting much closer to fitness but he’s a wee bit away.

“Arthur Masuaku and Andriy Yarmolenko are both getting much closer, as well, so hopefully, it won’t be too long until we’re back to a full squad.”

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The international break which follows Sunday’s London derby should prove vastly beneficial for West Ham with Ogbonna (ankle), Fornals, Masuaku and Yarmolenko (knee) all seemingly moving closer to making their returns from injuries.

However, as Arsenal’s visit to the London Stadium will likely prove too early for some if not all, those who featured yet struggled against Manchester United will likely be given a reprieve and the chance to prove their worth this weekend.

Bowen will almost certainly fall into that category after his efforts alongside Michail Antonio in a two-man strike partnership left Moyes vastly underwhelmed at Old Trafford.

“We thought tonight that the way we would play with two up, Jarrod and Michail as two forwards to start with, we thought that might give them a problem to start with, so I saw that as being positive in a different way,” Moyes said, via quotes by football.london.

“But ultimately, we got better as the game went on when we brought on Manu [Lanzini] and Said [Benrahma] I would say that. I would also say Man United might have been better than they were and that the team that was out did not concede any goals, only one from a set-piece at that time and it was only after that that you can judge it.”

Bowen should expect to be kept in the starting line-up against Arsenal as Moyes will be able to return the former Hull City forward to his natural wide position with Fornals unavailable.

Moyes had moved the winger centrally to accommodate for Jesse Lingard being ineligible to face his parent club, but the Manchester United loanee is in line to make his return on Sunday.

A switch back to a 4-2-3-1 with Bowen on the right should help to see the £27m-rated maestro – who Darren Bent has described as an “example” for Said Benrahma to follow – find the form which eluded him last week and impressed Jamie Carragher earlier in the campaign.

“Bowen, he has been a brilliant signing for him [Moyes],” Carragher said on Sky Sports, via quotes shared by Hammers News, after scoring the winner against Aston Villa on November 30.

“He’s just one of those players, he always nicks a goal every three or four games, you just see him on the scoresheet. And again, he’s got a vital goal for them. He does really well on that right-side coming inside and he’s been a great signing for them.”

AND in other news, a West Ham winter target is set to be available for £17m this summer…

Southampton have been linked with Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard recently and he could prove to be the ideal heir to Danny Ings in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side should he arrive at St Mary’s this summer.

Whilst the Austrian manager has reaffirmed on a number of occasions that Ings won’t be sold this summer, it is also looking unlikely that he will commit to a new deal at St Mary’s, so we could see him depart on a free transfer next summer when his current deal expires.

Southampton were recently linked with a move for Edouard, with The Sun claiming that the Saints have joined the race to sign the Frenchman, who has been prolific during his time with the Hoops but is reportedly looking for a new challenge this summer.

The former PSG man’s contract at Celtic Park is, similarly to Ings, set to expire at the end of the next season, so a summer exit certainly looks to be on the cards for the 23-year-old, as you would suspect that Celtic won’t want to lose him on a free transfer.

During his time with the Scottish side, Edouard has made 168 appearances, contributing an impressive 83 goals and 37 assists in all competitions.

Despite Celtic’s struggles this season, the young striker has still been a consistent performer, contributing 16 goals and three assists in 26 Premiership appearances, which has helped him average a superb 7.31 rating from WhoScored.

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He has 22 goals in all competitions this season, so he clearly knows where the back of the net is, and his consistent record in Scotland certainly suggests that he could do a job in Hasenhuttl’s side in the future, perhaps filling the shoes of Ings, who will undoubtedly prove to be difficult to replace when he eventually does leave St Mary’s.

Earlier in the season, before his sacking, Neil Lennon was full of praise for the Frenchman, saying:

“He’s scored goals in cup finals, he’s scored goals in big games from the penalty spot and he took it brilliantly today. He looked far more like himself today and I thought he was magnificent. He’s a joy to watch at times, so he’s had a good day as well.”

If the 23-year-old does arrive at St Mary’s this summer, then he could be a fixture in Southampton’s side for many years to come, and could definitely prove to be the ideal man to replace Ings if he can replicate his goalscoring form from Scotland in the Premier League.

And, in other news… Semmens should seal Southampton swoop for 29-goal “phenomenon” 

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Middlesbrough play host to fellow Championship promotion contenders Leeds United at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, and Tony Pulis must be ready to take advantage after Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa said he could be without three key players on Teesside, as per the Yorkshire Evening Post.

On the chalkboard

Well, Bielsa confirmed in his pre-match press conference that there are doubts over the fitness of Mateusz Klich, Adam Forshaw and Pablo Hernandez through injury at the weekend, and it gives the Boro boss a big opportunity to exploit their opponents.

The trio are all capable of playing through the middle in Leeds’ preferred 4-1-4-1 system, and without those players they will surely be weaker than usual through the middle of the park.

Pulis has largely favoured either a 5-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 system so far this season, and he appears unlikely to repeat deploying a 3-5-2 formation he used during the week, given they were beaten 2-0 by Newport County in their fourth-round FA Cup replay.

What does he need to do?

Assuming Leeds are going to be less effective from an attacking point of view in central areas – which should certainly be the case if they are without Forshaw, Klich and Hernandez – then Boro need to take advantage through the middle.

Pulis has often decided to play with four central-midfield players even when using a 5-4-1 system, but he has now been given the perfect opportunity to be slightly more adventurous to get his side a vital three points against a Whites side that look to be lagging a little.

Going with a 4-2-3-1 gives him the defensive balance he wants and needs but also gives him a player in behind the striker who can really hurt Bielsa’s men, and now he must decide who the best individual for the job is – Lewis Wing must surely be in with a shout.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

As Celtic ride the wave of change at Parkhead, there is one area of the club that needs addressing before anything else; the first-team manager.

The Bhoys lost Neil Lennon a number of weeks ago now but they’re still no closer to discovering who his successor will be.

What’s the word?

Roy Keane is a name that will tremble fear throughout the Green Brigade. When he was first linked with the Hoops job it didn’t go down too well with supporters.

Fortunately, just days after it looked as though an interview had taken place, he was suddenly out of the reckoning.

However, fresh reports state that he could well be back in the conversation.

That’s according to Football Insider who claim that behind-the-scenes developments have led to the Irishman being in the frame for the position again.

Keane is gaining more support from the Celtic hierarchy after several stumbling blocks emerged regarding Eddie Howe.

Big U-turn on the cards

There have been several twists and turns to this circus of a managerial pursuit but this is perhaps the biggest U-turn yet from majority shareholder Dermot Desmond.

For weeks now it’s looked as though Howe would be given the gig but circumstances out of Desmond’s control have taken over.

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The 43-year-old doesn’t want to return to management until the summer while he’s also facing problems over his backroom staff.

Howe wants Richard Hughes as his director of football but the Glaswegian outfit are keen on Fergal Harkin. This is something Celtic have reportedly said no to.

There are also problems with interest emerging elsewhere. It’s thought that both Crystal Palace and Brighton are keeping tabs on the Englishman.

You can hardly blame Desmond for turning his attention to other candidates, therefore. The frustrating thing, though, is that he appears to be taking the easy way out.

There is no interest from anyone else in Keane that we know of and judging by his ten-year absence from the managerial world, there won’t be many courting his services in the coming months.

This is such a crucial point in Celtic’s modern history. Fail to get their next appointment spot on and they could be left in the dust by Rangers for a considerable period of time.

Keane has never won more than 42% of his matches while in charge of a club; something that speaks volumes about his abilities as a number one.

Instead of taking the easy way out, Desmond needs to get back to the drawing board and avoid this almighty U-turn for the greater good of the club.

AND in other news, Celtic may have their new Tierney in “tricky” 18 y/o who’s rarely-seen at senior level…

UEFA has missed the deadline to publish their report into the chaos surrounding Glasgow Rangers’ Europa League match against Slavia Prague at Ibrox last month.

UEFA miss deadline in Gers fiasco

The Gers were knocked out of the round of 16 by the Czech champions after losing 2-0 at Ibrox. However, the match was marred by a number of incidents, with Glen Kamara accusing Ondrej Kudela of racist abuse before the latter said the Finland international had hit him in the tunnel (slavia.cz).

Last week, Slavia president Jaroslav Tvrdik said UEFA had until April 5 to share their report (slavia.cz) – but they are yet to do so.

*Since this article was published, Ewan Murray has confirmed UEFA have opened ‘proceedings’ against Kudela.

Outcome is needed

Of course, it is important the European governing body carry out their due diligence to make sure they have all the information they need to make the right decision. However, for everyone involved in this sorry debacle, an outcome is needed sooner rather then later.

Depending on the decision, it is important that Kamara gets closure. What he is said to have been on the end of is out of order and must be eradicated both from the game of football and everyday life. UEFA will know they will be sending a message no matter the result – that is perhaps why they are taking so long to come to a decision.

In other news, some Rangers fans do not agree with these Steven Gerrard comments.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Wolves icon Steve Bull believes that Eddie Howe would take the Celtic if offered, and would certainly have no issue making the move across the border.

Celtic have been searching for a new manager since Neil Lennon left his role earlier this year after a rather poor season for the Bhoys, as they missed out on the chance to win 10 league titles in a row.

Celtic were dumped out of the Europa League in the group stages and have had to watch on as Steven Gerrard’s Rangers have stormed to their 55th league title as well as reaching the Round of 16 in the Europa League.

Speaking on why Eddie Howe, who is reportedly in advanced talks over the role, would want the Celtic job and how he’s one of the only people for the job, Bull told FFC:

“He’d love that and would take it all day long. They’re very patriotic up there and I think he could show a good style of play at Celtic.

“Celtic have got something to prove next year and I think he’s probably one of the managers that could go up there and prove it. So, I think he would do well.”

There have been a number of people linked with the vacant job, but Alan Nixon has confirmed Howe is a serious candidate to get the job.

Former Celtic midfielder Roy Keane has also been linked with the job, with his last managerial role being manager of Ipswich Town in 2011.

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been giving their thoughts to a transfer update on Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham.

Villa have been linked with a summer move for the Blues forward who netted 26 goals for the club on loan.

And according to the Daily Telegraph, cited by Birmingham Live, any club wanting to sign Abraham will need to fork out £40m.

The report suggests that the 23-year-old could leave Chelsea as part of a ‘reshuffle’ of Thomas Tuchel’s squad ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Abraham, valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, still has over two years remaining on his Stamford Bridge deal.

He’s on £82,000-a-week with the Blues, so it seems as if Villa will have to make Abraham their club-record signing and one of the top earners at Villa Park, should they wish to bring him back to the Midlands.

Villa fans react

@AVFC_News shared the news on Abraham on Twitter on a number of occasions.

This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply.

“SNAP THEIR HANDS OFF”

Credit: @Jedi1708

“Pay it, a better standard of player and him and Watkins would compliment each other.”

Credit: @Liam_856

“Better spent on Tammy than Barkley.”

Credit: @avfcthegambia

“Don’t care how much it costs… just get him”

Credit: @irvines02

“Seems very reasonable for 40 million. Our academy will save us millions in the future.”

Credit: @StevenB40945084

“Make an offer 35 mil, it’s a start !! Would love to see him back with us. His quality is needed, obviously needs help within CM but at least we’d have 2 main CF’s who could push us to the next level with their goals as Ollie can’t do it all!!!!”

Credit: @MarkPau86473828

In other news: Many AVFC fans flock to footage of Dean Smith, find out what it’s about here. 

Jacob Murphy has seemingly emerged as a target for Rangers once again ahead of the summer transfer window as it’s been claimed that Steven Gerrard’s side remain keen on bringing the 26-year-old to Ibrox next season.

What’s the word?

That’s according to a report from Football Insider.

The Gers were keen on Murphy during the January transfer window but will not be available on a free transfer any longer, as it has emerged that he’s actually under contract at St James’ Park until 2022.

It’s thought the Magpies have a £3m asking price, whilst the SPFL giants will have to battle the likes of Southampton and Watford for his signature.

Kickstart title defence

The current campaign may not be done and dusted just yet, especially as the Light Blues still have that unbeaten record to keep intact, but it is a very shrewd decision to start planning ahead for next season.

Bringing in new faces will be crucial towards defending their title and if the Glasgow outfit are to remain dominant at the top, then they cannot rest on their laurels.

It’ll be all change down the road, with a mass exodus due after nine straight years of control, so there isn’t a better time for Rangers to bolster Gerrard’s squad.

And signing a new winger is a pretty good place to start.

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Aside from Ryan Kent, the 40-year-old’s only other out-and-out wide man is January arrival Scott Wright. We’ve seen Joe Aribo fill in there on occasion, and Ianis Hagi, too but both are more suited centrally.

Currently, Jordan Jones is one of two wingers playing his football away from Ibrox and it is he who is in most doubt amid interest in Murphy. If he’s not fancied aged 26, then there’s very little hope of him returning to start games next season.

The forgotten Ibrox ace is also keen to return to the Stadium of Light, according to Football Insider, so it certainly seems like his Gers career is over.

Playing on the right for League One promotion hopefuls Sunderland, he has only managed to deliver one goal and one assist, whereas Murphy has thrived in England’s top-flight.

The £3.15m-rated dynamo has been one of Steve Bruce’s most consistent performers, even despite being asked to play wing-back at times, a decision that culminated in him scoring against Burnley last weekend in a performance where he arguably stole the show.

“He’s played a big part in the season. He’s had, for him, a really good season where he knows now that he belongs in the Premier League,” explained Bruce. ” I’d love to see him at the club. It’s what we want: young, hungry, determined to do well – he ticks all of those boxes.”

Interestingly, his versatility to play in defence is intriguing and with the Gers in Europe again next term, he could provide crucial cover for James Tavernier.

The Times’ chief football writer Henry Winter waxed lyrical about his ability to deliver at right wing-back earlier this month. He said: “Jacob Murphy outstanding for NUFC at right wing-back, ran himself into the ground, defending/attacking, got cramp, eventually subbed. His resilience echoed all over.”

Wilson must sanction a £3m swoop for Murphy this summer, he’d be the perfect signing to kickstart their ambitions to mount a solid title defence.

AND in other news, Wilson must seal bargain swoop for 12-goal gem who had £36m star on toast…

Many Arsenal fans have slammed the performance of Calum Chambers in their 3-0 home loss to Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday night.

The former Southampton man, who is primarily a central defender by trade, was run ragged at right-back by Sadio Mane all night as Jurgen Klopp’s men cruised to victory in the end at the Emirates Stadium.

Although there were some pretty poor performances in a Gunners shirt on the night, Chambers was especially off-colour. He lost out on 10 of his duels, the most of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch, and he also made no interceptions or tackles and lost the ball on 19 separate occasions (joint-most of any Arsenal player), earning him a measly 5.7 overall rating on Sofascore, the lowest out of anyone involved on the night.

Arsenal fans on Chambers display

These Gooners slammed his performance on Twitter, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that the 26-year-old is a ‘midtable footballer’:

“Might be good this in long run. Chambers, Holding, Ceballos, Elneny not good enough. Add Pepe, Auba, Laca to that maybe. Very poor.”

Credit: @RobWoodfin1

“#ARSLIV | Holding and Chambers beaten aerially by a guy shorter than the both of them. Embarrassing. 0-1 #AFC”

Credit: @HighburEE0304

“We expect top 4 again with Holding and Chambers starting games still in 2021! #afc”

Credit: @johnh1886

“One thing we learned is Chambers isn’t the answer he is a midtable footballer and he joins the vast collection of midtable trash masquerading as Arsenal players!!! #ARSLIV”
Credit: @stevegroves2004

“The only time Chambers and Holding play is for Arsenal, they aren’t good enough to be on the bench for England. Shows how out of class we are. Pathetic manager, pathetic players. Bring it on Thursday! #ARSLIV”
Credit: @msleeplessagain

“If Chambers was awarded a penalty he would probably pass it back to his keeper #ARSLIV”
Credit: @stephen_peel

In other news, find out what Martin Odegaard news has left these Gunners buzzing!

Brendan Rodgers remains one of Tottenham Hotspur’s top managerial targets, according to reports…

What’s the word?

That’s the latest claim from 90min, who suggested that the 48-year-old is still in the running to take over from Jose Mourinho despite his reluctance to leave Leicester City.

Daniel Levy will not appoint Spurs’ next manager until the summer, with the club’s former midfielder Ryan Mason in caretaker charge until then, and the chairman is believed to be infatuated by the Foxes chief.

It is also claimed that he would be prepared to make Rodgers the second-highest paid manager in the Premier League behind Man City’s Pep Guardiola, who is thought to be on around £15m per year.

Pay whatever it takes

As targets keep coming and going, Levy could have his work cut out to find a viable and attractive manager to fill the vacant role at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Julian Nagelsmann and Erik ten Hag have quickly been ruled out of the running, and even though he seems committed to Leicester, there cannot be many better candidates out there than Rodgers.

Speaking about the interest in his services last month, the former Celtic and Liverpool boss praised Spurs as a club, claiming: “Tottenham is a great club, one of the biggest clubs in Britain but for me, I’m just in a really, really happy place in my life.”

Of course, he’s not going to come straight out and claim he’d be keen on swapping the King Power Stadium for north London, especially as the Foxes are battling for a top four finish, and that will be the centre of his focus.

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You can never strictly rule it out, though. Levy has to throw the chequebook at him and do all he can to convince him to sign on the dotted line. If he wants Spurs back competing in Europe, particularly in the Champions League, then he must turn to Rodgers.

The 48-year-old has completely transformed Leicester on and off the pitch. It is looking like back-to-back seasons qualifying for Europe and he’s done that despite losing his best players every summer.

Stars such as Ben Chilwell, Harry Maguire, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez were all replaced adequately and it’s like the Foxes have never missed out on their presence. This sort of recruitment is desperately needed at Spurs, with the club in dire need of a rebuild.

Another one of his key abilities is to develop players, and there isn’t a better example than Kelechi Iheanacho, who until this campaign very much looked like he wouldn’t hit the potential with which he was once touted at Manchester City.

The 24-year-old has scored 18 goals and provided seven assists in all competitions this term, via Transfermarkt, leading to Dean Windass lauding Rodgers’ influence as “unbelievable” in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

With players like Dele Alli, Joe Rodon, Dane Scarlett and many more at Spurs, Rodgers would be very well placed to continue such a trend.

Furthermore, Mourinho has previously waxed lyrical about his former Chelsea coach, suggesting he is “creative” and a “very good coach.”

Only Sir Alex Ferguson has a better win percentage of any British manager to take charge of 50 or more games since 2000 in the Premier League, leading to Gary Neville lauding the 48-year-old “one of the outstanding managers in the league”.

It’s no wonder that Rodgers, who has won 54% of his games in charge of the Foxes, would be a dream candidate for Levy and Spurs. It could cost them an extraordinary amount of money to land him but, if it’s the price they have to pay to get a top contender, so be it.

Rodgers is absolutely perfect for Spurs; it’s as simple as that.

AND in other news, 45 y/o who left “a lasting impression on Spurs would bring shades of Pochettino to North London…