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Tomas Soucek’s long-term future at West Ham is in doubt following contract talks being put on halt by David Moyes.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that Soucek’s contract talks have been stalled by Moyes in what could potentially be a bold move with regards to the player’s long-term future at the Hammers.

New contract discussions had begun to motor ahead during the January transfer window, with Moyes and West Ham looking at rewarding the player for his excellent form during his spell so far at the club.

The report by 90min also states that there are two Premier League sides interested in the midfielder, although the clubs are not named.

West Ham would rue not extending Soucek’s contract

The Czech international has scored six times this season, a steady return for a defensive midfielder.

His performances alongside Declan Rice have transformed the Hammers’ fortunes over the previous 18 months and they would be hard-pressed to find another player with his quality for a respectable fee.

The midfielder has played 45 matches for the Premier League side this season as they have exceeded all expectations, closing in on a top-six place and also being through to the Europa League semi-finals.

Moyes may be aiming to persuade players of higher stature to the side following their European success, but this may be detrimental to their finances.

With the 27-year-old being valued at £40.5m and being in the peak years of his career, West Ham could make an exceptional profit on the measly £14.58m fee they paid Slavia Prague for his services two years ago.

However, considering just how important Soucek has proven to be for West Ham since his arrival at the club back in 2020, the argument that losing the services of the midfielder this summer would be a disaster for Moyes and his side is an easy one to make – leading us to believe that West Ham must do everything they can to tie the £47k-per-week man down to a new deal.

Indeed, waving goodbye to the player who Kevin Phillips dubbed a “great asset” at the end of the current campaign is sure to be an outcome that would leave the London Stadium faithful fuming.

AND in other news: Moyes now plotting £21m West Ham offer for 18-goal “unicorn”, imagine him & Antonio

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly now begun talks to sign Hugo Ekitike this summer.

The Lowdown: Breakthrough season

Ekitike is having somewhat of a breakthrough season with Reims in Ligue 1, where he has managed nine goals and pitch in three assists in total in the division so far (Transfermarkt).

So much so, that the likes of Newcastle United and West Ham came knocking in the January transfer window, and more clubs are now set to follow suit in the summer.

The Latest: Tottenham talks

As per Calciomercato, Spurs have begun to build talks with Reims over Ekitike, along with North London rivals Arsenal, FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

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Marseille, Lyon and PSG are also thought to be in the mix for his signature, which is thought to cost in the region of €20m (£16.7m).

The Verdict: Bargain

Considering that a £33m deal for Ekitike to go to St. James’ Park fell through on deadline day, to get him for essentially half the price would prove to be a bargain.

The 19-year-old has had no shortage of praise, as his manager Oscar Garcia called him a ‘very special’ player earlier in the campaign, while many in France believe that he could be the ‘next Mbappe’.

There are similarities to how Kylian Mbappe broke onto the scene as a French teenager at AS Monaco, and if Ekitike turns out to be anything like the player Mbappe is now, then the Lilywhites would have a real gem on their hands.

In other news, find out what injury ‘worry’ is now a ‘real problem’ for THFC here!

Duje Caleta-Car should seal his long-awaited switch to the Premier League by joining Southampton instead of West Ham United, according to Get French Football News’ Adam White.

West Ham have been long-term admirers of Marseille’s Caleta-Car and the 6 ft 4 Croatia international turned down a move to east London last year.

Despite the setback, Caleta-Car remains on the Hammers’ radar, along with Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma, as boss David Moyes looks to add further reinforcements to his side before the transfer window slams shut.

However, West Ham face competition for Caleta-Car’s services as Premier League rivals Southampton are also keeping tabs on the 24-year-old.

Saints’ interest comes after Denmark international Jannik Vestergaard, who had entered the final 12 months of his contract at St Mary’s, sealed a £15million move to Leicester City last week.

Caleta-Car is yet to make an appearance for Ligue 1 outfit Marseille this season and French football expert White believes he would be a better fit for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton squad than West Ham if he did decide to move to the Premier League.

He told Football FanCast: “At Southampton, he could be in a position to do more of the type of defending he is good at [than at West Ham], which is using his physicality, reading of play and his ability in the air.

“He’s probably a slightly better fit at Southampton and I can see that happening.”

An update has emerged on Rangers defender Nathan Patterson, regarding Everton’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to the Scottish Sun, Everton are willing to meet Rangers’ asking price of around £10m for right-back Patterson.

The report claims that Liverpool have now exited the race for the Gers defender, leaving the Toffees as the only club left pursuing him.

Fans will be livid

Rangers fans would be livid if the club opts to cash in on Patterson in the January window. He is a promising young player who could be a key player for the Gers in the future and selling him now could end up being a disaster for Ross Wilson.

The Ibrox chief must resist any temptations to sell Patterson at this moment in time, even if Everton come in with an offer of £10m for his services. He is still under contract until 2024 and that means that there is no need to rush into a sale. his deal is not close to expiring and they do not need to worry about losing him on a free transfer.

Wilson must work hard to keep him at the club as he could be the long-term successor to James Tavernier at right-back. The Gers skipper turns 30 in October and is heading into the final years of his career, whereas Patterson is only at the beginning of his at the age of 19.

Rangers’ head of academy Craig Mulholland lauded the young fullback last year, saying: “Nathan has been fantastic for us this year.

“Again, we started the project five, six, years ago to get a level of player that we felt could go and compete in the Europa League, could go and compete in Old Firm games.

“And if you go and look at Nathan in the last 16 of the Europa League, if you look at him in the Old Firm game, it’s a great example for all the young players in here of what we’re trying to achieve.”

He has already been capped three times by Scotland and made 18 senior appearances for Rangers, which shows that he has been trusted to perform by Steven Gerrard and Steve Clarke despite his young age. Therefore, he HAS the potential to progress further and continue his development, potentially taking Tavernier’s spot in the side as he slows down towards the end of his career.

This is why Rangers fans will be livid if the club cash in on Patterson now. It could deprive them of a potentially excellent player and a homegrown one at that. It would also leave the Gers needing to go out and buy a long-term Tavernier replacement when they already had one in the building.

AND in other news, Gerrard issues update on £27k-p/w “mountain” that’ll leave Rangers fans concerned…

Everton have been linked with a move for Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey as manager Rafael Benitez looks to bolster his engine room options at Goodison Park.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Toffees are interested in securing the 30-year-old’s services in the January window, with fellow Premier League club West Ham United also listed as potential suitors.

The report claimed that both Everton and the Hammers are weighing up a move for Ramsey as the Serie A giants are eager to offload his sizeable wages as soon as possible.

Ramsey’s current contract doesn’t expire until the summer of 2023, but rumours suggest the Italian giants are eager to get the former Arsenal man off their books much sooner due to his lack of output on the pitch.

Marcel Brands must sanction Everton swoop

Everton’s director of football Marcel Brands must sanction a swoop for the £12.6m-rated Ramsey over the winter window, adding some class and technical ability to Benitez’s industrial midfield.

The Wales international has bags of Premier League experience under his belt from his time at Arsenal, where he continually impressed throughout his seven-year stay. Ramsey scored 65 goals and laid on a further 65 assists in 371 appearances for the Gunners, winning three FA Cups along the way and earning praise from several impressed onlookers, including Martin Keown.

“He continues to mature as a player and develop. He’s a real leader now in this Arsenal team,” the Gunners legend claimed back in 2019.

“Playing in a deeper role, as he did under Arsene Wenger – I think that’s the best role for him. If you want Ozil and him in the same team. He’s so important to everything Arsenal do. It’s the energy – the box-to-box energy. He’s become an outstanding technician.”

However, following a contract dispute, Ramsey departed the north London outfit on a free transfer ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, joining Juventus in a search for silverware.

Although he has claimed a Scudetto and a Coppa Italia during his time in Turin, the creative talent has only started 25 league games to date for the Bianconeri, highlighting his peripheral role within the first team squad.

Therefore, a move back to English shores appears likely over the coming months, and Everton’s hierarchy must make Goodison Park Ramsey’s next destination, aiding their push for a top six finish.

In other news… Everton could find their new Marouane Fellaini by signing “exciting” 6 foot 4 weapon 

Manchester United will be hoping to prove their status as potential champions with a victory over fierce rivals Leeds United on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

The Red Devils finished second in the top-flight last term, 12 points behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City as they attempted to seal their first league crown since 2013.

It’s been a very successful summer for the Old Trafford club, though, with former Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho finally arriving in a £73m deal, while Raphael Varane is expected to be announced imminently.

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that Sancho will play some part in today’s early kick-off, although whether he features from the off or not remains to be seen.

“Jadon is going to be involved definitely. Good week, but was ill after his holiday. He has looked sharper than expected. Can’t tell you if he is going to start, though,” claimed Solskjaer in yesterday’s press conference.

With that in mind, here’s how Football Fan Cast thinks the Norwegian will line up his side against Leeds, making three changes from their Europa League final defeat in May…

Spain international David de Gea will start in goal for the Red Devils as Dean Henderson has yet to fully recover from a viral infection.

Many United supporters would have been hoping to catch a glimpse of Varane in today’s opening encounter, but the World Cup-winning centre-back is currently unavailable. That means Victor Lindelof is set to partner Harry Maguire at the heart of defence, with the Englishman returning to the starting lineup in place of £13.5m-rated Eric Bailly.

The full-back spots will be occupied by the usual suspects of Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, completing a rather familiar-looking back five.

In midfield, Solskjaer has some big decisions to make. Reports throughout the summer claimed he was keen to play an attacking 4-3-3 system this season, meaning that Scott McTominay could anchor a forward-thinking duo involving Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek.

Paul Pogba’s absence from the engine room should see him line up on the left-hand side. That’s due to the absence of Marcus Rashford through injury, Jesse Lingard through illness and Sancho and Edinson Cavani through a lack of training.

Solsjkaer’s fitness concerns should present a golden opportunity for Anthony Martial to stake his claim to be the leading striker once again, though, and might also see 19-year-old Mason Greenwood feature from the off once more.

In other news… Ole could save millions by trusting “perfect” £40m gem, Man Utd fans would love him 

Leeds United will need to pay a club-record fee if they are to secure Ben Brereton Diaz this month…

What’s the word?

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who claim that Blackburn Rovers want to see more than £30m before they would even consider selling their leading talisman.

The 22-year-old only has six months to run on his current contract but it’s believed the Lancashire outfit have an option to trigger a one-year extension.

Several teams have enquired over the possibility of signing the Chile international before the January 31st deadline, including the Yorkshire giants, West Ham United, Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

United paid a record £30m to Manchester United for Daniel James in the summer. Meanwhile, only three players have commanded a larger fee when transferring out of the Championship – Nathan Ake (£41m), Ollie Watkins (£33m) and Moussa Sissoko (£30m).

Bielsa needs him

Given the fact that Rovers can keep him until the summer of 2023 without any fuss, it seems likely that Leeds will need to spend big bucks to land a player that Bielsa is noted to be really keen on.

And ultimately, he’s someone that the Argentinian head coach badly needs.

As we’ve seen throughout the bulk of the 2021/22 campaign, Bielsa and his squad have sorely missed top goalscorer Patrick Bamford, with the England international regularly facing time on the sideline through injury.

Only five other teams in the Premier League have scored fewer goals than United this season and no player aside from Raphina (eight) has found the net more than twice.

Diaz, meanwhile, is having a standout and breakthrough year for Blackburn. He has bagged a whopping 20 goals in just 25 appearances in the Championship this campaign, adding to his seven goals and five assists last term.

As a result of his fine form, the 6 foot 1 frontman has been dubbed a “goal machine” by The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, whilst his manager Tony Mowbray has regularly waxed lyrical about his star at Ewood Park.

“Brereton with the ball at his feet is an extraordinary talent,” he once told reporters (via LancsLive). “He’s a wonderful footballer who can dribble with both feet, take people out of the game.”

In another interview, this time with the club’s official website, he said: “Brereton’s like a beast now, and he can score goals. I see it every day in training. He’s a brilliant lad and all our lads absolutely love him.”

On the above evidence, it could be a wise and shrewd investment, even if it’ll cost chairman Andrea Radrizzani another club-record fee

AND in other news, Orta could save Bielsa millions with Leeds’ rarely-seen £8.4k-p/w “runaway train”…

According to reliable Tottenham Hotspur journalist Dan Kilpatrick of The Evening Standard, manager Antonio Conte has now made a player decision ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

The Lowdown: Big summer ahead…

The Lilywhites, currently chasing Champions League qualification, also face a big looming summer transfer window as Conte gears up for his first full season in charge.

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Tottenham have set their sights on a number of top transfer targets already, mainly in defence according to The Athletic, but they may need to offload certain players to boost their kitty.

One of those stars, club record signing and Lyon loanee Tanguy Ndombele, now looks like one Tottenham asset who could be up for grabs as Spurs’ head coach makes a pre-summer decision.

The Latest: Conte makes Ndombele call…

According to Kilpatrick, Conte has no faith in the 25-year-old with his future at Spurs now ‘uncertain’.

Indeed, Tottenham’s manager allegedly ‘sees no future’ for Ndombele at the club, with Lyon also not expected to exercise an option to sign permanently.

The hope now for Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy is his end-of-season performances attract interest from other clubs.

The Verdict: Time to go?

Ndombele, who shined under ex-boss Jose Mourinho at points last season, clearly has bags of ability and Spurs may well be able to attract a fairly substantial sum for his services.

Lauded as ‘underrated’ by pundit Martin Keown last season, West Ham star Declan Rice also revealed that some Lilywhites players believe the France international can be ‘unbelievable’.

The only question marks, as ever, will be centred around his attitude and application and that could prove a major sticking point for clubs interested in making a move.

Ndombele’s possible exit may well be one of the talking points of Tottenham’s summer transfer window and it will be interesting to see if Spurs manage to offload for a decent fee.

In other news: Tottenham eye agreement ‘in the coming weeks’ as they make offer for exciting midfielder, find out more here.

Lots of Manchester City fans have been left gushing over some news that has emerged involving former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

As shared by the official Twitter page of the Etihad Stadium faithful, the story of Eriksson’s one season at MCFC will now be told in a brand new feature production on CITY+.

The Swede was in charge of City the season before their takeover by the Abu Dhabi Group, in which he guided them to a respectable ninth spot in the Premier League.

He also managed to get to the quarter-final stage of the EFL Cup, and did the double over arch-rivals Manchester United in the league.

Nonetheless, the production will give a lot of City supporters the chance to reminisce what it was like just before the takeover went through, in what was a good season for them by their standards at the time.

Man City fans on Eriksson news

These Sky Blues gushed as the news was shared on Twitter, with a couple even going as far as to claim that they were ‘buzzing’, while another branded it as ‘fantastic’:

“One of the best years supporting the club I loved it”

Credit: @JoeCityFan

“One hell of a season that one. Remember it so well.”

Credit: @grandhustle0

“Absolutely buzzing to see this. Gutted that it was before my time, my dad still says it’s one of his favourite ever seasons supporting City”

Credit: @ttomconnolly

“This should be fantastic”

Credit: @DanTheCityMan_

“Honestly one of my favourite seasons”

Credit: @_PeterBennett

“Buzzing is an understatement”

Credit: @RNewall2

In other news, find out what new merchandise has left City fans wowed here!

Newcastle United’s prior relationship with Gleison Bremer’s agency could be key as they pursue the Torino centre-back, The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder says. 

The lowdown

Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via The Chronicle) has named Newcastle among a lengthy list of clubs interested in Bremer.

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Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid were also identified as admirers.

Bremer is represented by CAA Base, whose clients also include Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood.

The 25-year-old, who signed a contract extension as recently as February, has started every Serie A game for which he’s been available this season.

The latest

Ryder confirms that Newcastle have been watching Bremer and notes that Torino have ‘leaked’ €50million (£41million) price tag to the press in Italy.

The Magpies may hold a ‘trump card’ over their many competitors because of CAA Base’s ‘relationship with head of recruitment Steve Nickson’.

The verdict

This would be a real coup for Nickson and Newcastle.

Bremer is a dominant centre-back, ranking in the 95th percentile for aerial duels won per 90 minutes, and his average of 2.35 blocks per 90 (96th) also suggests he’s something of a warrior.

But that’s not to say the Brazilian’s old-fashioned. In fact, he records a high volume of dribbles (82nd percentile), indicating that he has a great deal of confidence in possession.

He also defends on the front-foot, slotting into the 98th percentile for pressures and leading the way in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions per 90 minutes. That means he’s making more than renowned specialists like N’Golo Kante.

Journalist Maxi Angelo says he should be a contender for the Serie A Defender of the Season award, while Tifo Football’s Seb Stafford-Bloor has uniquely described him as ‘a vending machine of a centre-half’.

In other news, one Newcastle player was rated just 4/10 vs Leicester.