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David Moyes will be tempted to remain with an unchanged starting XI for West Ham’s trip to Merseyside this afternoon.

But the Scotsman did hint at a couple of injury worries following the international break, so that may not be possible.

Last time out, the Irons suffered only their second defeat of the 2021/22 campaign, losing to a last-gasp goal against newly-promoted Brentford and now they head to Goodison Park to face an in-form Everton side.

It leaves Moyes with plenty of selection headaches but with that in mind, here’s the Hammers XI we’re predicting today…

There could be as many as three changes from the side that tasted defeat at the London Stadium.

Between the sticks, Lukasz Fabianski is expected to resume duties, with Paris Saint-Germain loanee Alphonse Areola only being used sparingly in the cup competitions.

We’re also predicting there to be a shuffle in defence as Issa Diop comes in for Angelo Ogbonna to form an all-French partnership in the middle. He’s yet to start in the league but after assistant manager Stuart Pearce described him as a “colossus”, it’s surely a matter of time before he does.

Whilst there have been concerns over the fitness of Vladimir Coufal.

The 29-year-old right-back pulled out of international duty for the Czech Republic during the break and still may not be risked just yet. You could tell he was rushed back for the Brentford defeat and he looked some way off his usual standard.

Instead, we may see Ben Johnson pair up with fellow full-back Aaron Cresswell.

It’s in midfield where there is a third and final change as club captain Mark Noble gets the nod over Tomas Soucek.

According to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, “it would not come as a surprise” if Moyes rested the Czech Republic international ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash with Genk.

He has played a lot of football since the start of last season, resulting in some leggy outings in recent weeks. He played the full 90 minutes on international duty twice last week.

Noble joins England star Declan Rice in the engine room, whilst the attack remains untouched, meaning Michail Antonio leads the line, having benefitted from pulling out of the Jamaica squad.

He’ll be supported by the trio of Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen.

AND in other news, Moyes must brutally axe “unplayable” £45k-per-week star at Goodison Park…

It would be a huge surprise if Wolves captain Conor Coady moved away from Molineux this summer, according to ‘transfer journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Coady a superb servant

The 29-year-old has been a magnificent servant for Wanderers, helping them return to the Premier League and continuing to shine in England’s top division, becoming a nine-time capped England international in the process.

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Coady has made 311 appearances for Wolves in total, including starting all 32 league games this season, as Bruno Lage’s side look to clinch European football.

Everton have been linked with a move for the former Liverpool youngster, with the Toffees apparently aiming to pull off a ‘surprise coup’ to sign him – raising some doubt over his Wanderers future.

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The Latest: Expert shocked by potential exit

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones admitted he would be shocked if Coady traded Molineux for Goodison Park ahead of next season:

“He’s the guy that has held them up and got them through tough moments on and off the pitch, he’s so valuable to them, so I would be absolutely amazed if they even consider selling him in the summer.”

The Verdict: Would be a big surprise

Coady has been a rock at the heart of Wolves’ defence for so long and it would be an almighty blow to lose him at the peak of his powers.

Not only is the Englishman an outstanding leader for Lage’s men but he is also an excellent footballer, averaging a 93.3% pass completion rate in the Carabao Cup this season.

Coady’s current Wolves deal doesn’t expire until 2025, with his recent extension in September 2020 suggesting he is more than happy at the club, so it would be a major shock if he decided Everton were the better option this summer.

In other news, a journalist has claimed that one Wolves player may have to be sold. Find out who it is here.

A number of Manchester United supporters have been reacting positively to another rumour claiming Anthony Martial could leave the club.

The Frenchman has had a curious United career in many ways, enjoying some success but never quite matching the expectations many had when he arrived in 2015.

Martial has scored 79 goals in 268 appearances for the Red Devils but he has found himself increasingly out of favour at Old Trafford.

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Only two Premier League starts have come his way this season, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Edinson Cavani all seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport [via Sport Witness and utdreport on Twitter], Martial will now do all he can to leave United in the January transfer window, assuming he is not in Ralf Rangnick’s plans.

Man United fans like Martial rumour

These United fans reacted to the news on Twitter, seeing it as a positive update due to the Frenchman’s lack of form recently…

“Please go”

Credit: @BigGruntz

“Thank God he wants to leave”

Credit: @_joromie

“Where does he want driving?”

Credit: @33georgejohnson

“On your bike then”

Credit: @alexkevans1992

“Who’s gonna miss a lazy striker???”

Credit: @Fabianhdw1

“He should have performed when he was given the chances…”

Credit: @lit08

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on one rumoured United target. Find out who it is here.

With Southampton now under new ownership after Sport Republic, backed by Serbian media mogul Dragan Solak, bought Gao Jisheng’s 80% stake of the club earlier this week, it hasn’t taken long for transfer rumours to emerge, this time linking the Saints with a very familiar face.

According to a recent report from El Nacional, Solak has identified Real Madrid star and former Saints player Gareth Bale as his first acquisition in charge of the south coast club.

Having started off his career at Southampton, Bale has gone on to make 536 senior appearances for the Saints, Tottenham and Real Madrid, scoring 183 goals, providing 140 assists and winning a plethora of trophies along the way, including four Champions League titles.

Despite being 32 years of age, the Welshman showed last season that he still has what it takes to perform at a high level in the Premier League by racking up 11 goals and two assists in 20 top-flight appearances during his loan spell at Tottenham. He also ended up as their second-highest rated player for the campaign, with an overall performance rating of 7.3/10 according to WhoScored.

Having been described as having a “magnificent” left foot by Sky Sports pundit Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Bale’s potential return to St Mary’s this month would surely stun a lot of Southampton fans. It would be a real statement of intent by Solak and highlight his aspirations for the club moving forward, considering Bale’s pedigree and experience.

However, given the Welshman’s previous struggles with injuries, which have also kept him sidelined for most of this season at the Bernabeu, this will need to be taken into consideration if Southampton decide to make a move for the winger this month.

If the Saints can manage to secure a deal for Bale, who is currently valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, and if he can overcome his injury woes, it will be interesting to see if he would be able to replicate the goalscoring form he showed at Spurs last season this time around for Ralph Hasenhuttl.

If this were to happen, he would surely give Southampton a great chance of potentially ending the season in or around the top half of the Premier League table, duly delighting a lot of Saints fans in the process.

In other news: Journalist drops positive transfer claim at Southampton which will have fans delighted

Crystal Palace are among the Premier League clubs targeting Celtic teenager Mitchel Frame, The Daily Record’s Scott Burns has revealed. 

The lowdown

With a week of the January transfer window remaining, the Eagles have yet to execute any first-team business, either in or out of the club, but they have strengthened their youth ranks with a couple of additions.

Right winger Killian Phillips (19) has joined from League of Ireland outfit Drogheda United, while the Eagles have also snapped up 18-year-old goalkeeper Serine Sanneh, who was a free agent.

Frame, who will turn 16 on Tuesday, would also very much be one for the future at Selhurst Park.

The latest

According to The Daily Record, Palace could battle with their fierce rivals Brighton and Hove Albion for the signature of the Celtic teenager.

Fellow Premier League club Newcastle United are also said to be interested in a player who is ‘catching the eye in the Celtic youth squads’, as per this report.

The verdict

The Scotsman’s preferred position for now is left-back, but at his tender age, he may develop the capacity to play elsewhere over the coming years.

Tyrick Mitchell is only 22 and could potentially have the left-back spot at Selhurst Park tied down for the next decade. He is considered one of the first names on Patrick Vieira’s team sheet, having played all but eight minutes in the Premier League for the Eagles so far this season.

That’s why it might be advisable for Frame, and indeed any other left-backs who might come through the ranks at Palace, to add more strings to his bow.

Celtic could put up a fight, having already seen promising talents like Leo Hjelde, Liam Morrison and Josh Adam lured away in recent times, so the Eagles can expect a strong battle over the next week if they intend to win the transfer race for the Hoops’ 15-year-old prodigy.

In other news, some Palace fans were not happy with this man’s performance against Liverpool

The Premier League has witnessed so many world class goalscorers in its time. This season there will be several superstars vying for the 2019/20 Golden Boot, as the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah and Sergio Aguero battle it out for the crown.

But who is the most clinical goalscorer ever in the Premier League, in terms of minute per goal?

The leaderboard of most clinical scorers in the history of England’s top-flight is comprised of players whose knack for not only finding the back of the net, but doing so frequently, made them international superstars.

Yet for all the superstars on the list, you might be surprised to find out where some of the game’s most prolific scorers, such as all-time leading goal scorer Alan Shearer with his 260 career goals, ultimately find themselves.

Here’s how the top-25 most clinical goal scorers in Premier League history stack up, correct as of the last round of fixtures on August 31, 2019…

25. Anthony Yeboah – 162 minutes per goal

Leeds fans will certianly remember the name Yeboah, and he just squeezes in the top 25 of the most prolific goalscorers in the Premier League.

The former Ghana striker averaged a goal every 162 minutes of league action, scoring 24 goals in 47 appearances.

24. Branko Strupar, 161 minutes per goal

Strupar may be a vacant figure in your memory of the most prolific strikers the Premier League has witnessed, but with a goal every 161 minutes, he ranks in the top 25.

The former Derby County striker scored 15 goals in 36 Premier League appearances and is deserved of his place in the rankings.

23. Divock Origi, 161 minutes per goal

The Belgium forward may not start under Jurgen Klopp, but he still remains one of the most clinical strikers in the top-tier of English football.

Origi has made 65 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool, scoring 16 goals in the process.

22. Loic Remy, 160 minutes per goal

Remy played for four different Premier League clubs but that did not stop his goalscoring antics, netting everywhere he went.

The France striker scored 28 goals in the top-tier of English football, netting every 160 minutes.

21. Demba Ba, 160 minutes per goal

The Senegalese striker picked up his 43 Premier League goals for West Ham, Newcastle and Chelsea in just five seasons spent in England, finding the back of the net once every 160 minutes.

20. Ian Wright, 157 minutes per goal

While a vast majority of Ian Wright’s 113 Premier League goals came for Arsenal, the former England international closed out his career in 1998-99 with nine goals in 22 appearances with West Ham United.

Arsenal’s second-leading Premier League scorer of all time finished his career with 157 minutes per goal.

19. Michael Owen, 153 minutes per goal

The 2001 Ballon d’Or winner tallied 150 career goals in the Premier League in 15 seasons playing for Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City.

When his storied career came to an end, Owen had scored once every 153 minutes.

18. Ole Gunnar Solskjær, 151 minutes per goal

Manchester United’s current interim manager was himself an accomplished scorer during his playing days and had amassed 92 Premier League goals when his career came to a close following the 2006-07 season.

The Norwegian striker scored once every 151 minutes over his 234 top-flight appearances for the Red Devils.

17. Ivan Klasnic – 150 minutes per goal

Remember Klasnic? He may not be notoriously known as one of the best strikers in Premier League record, but his strike rate speaks for itself.

The former Bolton Wanderers forward scored 20 goals for the club, netting every 150 minutes of league action.

16. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 149 minutes per goal

Zlatan certainly comes with his controversy, but there is no denying his goalscoring nature.

The former Sweden international made his mark at Old Trafford, scoring 17 goals in 33 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils.

Sheffield Wednesday’s previous League One match saw them secure a third consecutive draw with a 1-1 result against Lincoln City at Hillsborough.

Their next league outing sees Darren Moore’s side take a trip to face Cheltenham Town on Saturday to try and secure a win rather than another draw or even worse, a defeat.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the weekend, one player that was in the starting XI against Lincoln that we feel should not be in the team to face Cheltenham is 28-year-old centre-forward Saido Berahino.

During the 62 minutes he was on the pitch against Lincoln before being replaced by Theo Corbeanu, Berahino only managed to have one shot at goal, complete just 12 passes of the 19 he attempted, failed to make one accurate cross or long ball, lost possession on 14 occasions and ultimately earn himself a rather uninspiring overall match rating of 6.6, according to SofaScore.

Not only this, but Berahino, who is currently valued at £1.35m according to Transfermarkt, has only managed to score one goal and provide one assist in eight League One appearances, which isn’t the best record at this moment in time.

In addition to this, Berahino, who has been accused of having the “wrong mentality” in the past by former Stoke City teammate Glen Johnson, has only managed to rack up an average of 0.5 shots on target per game in League One so far this season, as well as just 0.6 key passes per game and an average passing accuracy percentage of 69% per game, which suggests to us that he hasn’t been a particularly useful attacking figure for the Owls yet.

Looking ahead to the Cheltenham game, Wednesday would probably have a better chance of securing all three points on Saturday if Moore took Berahino out of the starting XI on this occasion.

In terms of who could replace the striker on Saturday if Moore decides to take him out of the team,  adding Callum Paterson in, who has two goals and one assist under his belt in the league so far this season, could be the way forward for this encounter.

In other news: Moore must now unleash Sheff Weds’ 22 y/o beast who has “great energy”, he needs him – opinion

When Nuno Santo left Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of last summer there were plenty of questions that needed answering.

Could Wolves ever replicate what they’d achieved under the former goalkeeper and would Jeff Shi find the right manager to lead them forward?

The first question is still unanswered but in Bruno Lage, they’ve found a head coach capable of taking them into Europe.

He has stabilised the defence with the Old Gold conceding the fewest-highest goals in the top-flight and all they need now, are regular goalscorers.

The imminent return of Pedro Neto will no doubt help while luring Hwang Hee-chan to Molineux on a permanent basis would also help.

However, Wolves’ forward line arguably hasn’t been the same devastating machine since Raul Jimenez’s unfortunate injury and Diogo Jota’s departure.

The latter joined Liverpool in a deal worth £41m and has gone from strength to strength since, now ranking second in the Premier League’s top scorers list.

But how can Wolves finally go about replacing him? Neto has done a solid job of it but sadly, Trincao has struggled to the heir in waiting this term.

The dazzling winger has struggled in English football and is yet to score in 16 Premier League outings. Fortunately, they may have their answer right up their sleeve.

The Midlands outfit have been linked with a rather remarkable swoop for Barcelona attacker Ousmane Dembele and they could either sign him for free in the summer when his contract expires or at a cut-price fee this winter.

Plagued with inconsistency, he very much looks like a player in the ilk of Adama Traore. Blessed with pace and the ability to beat a player, he has also struggled for regular goals, netting just once this season.

However, it must be remembered that he’s just 24 and has a considerable amount of potential to be extracted from his locker.

After all, this is a player who was not only hailed as “better than Mbappe” by Joan Laporta, but also as a player who is “better than Neymar” according to Josep Maria Bartomeu.

With that in mind, bringing the £27m-rated French flyer to Wolves in 2022 would certainly be a good idea. If he can discover the sort of form that saw him earn a move to Barca in the first place, then he very much has the ability to finally replace Jota at Wolves.

AND in other news, Forget Trincao: Wolves plotting swoop for “the new Iniesta,” he’d be a big upgrade…

Aston Villa may be set for a difficult summer, with the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka, Douglas Luiz and Matty Cash all being linked with moves away from the Midlands in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Brazilian superstar Philippe Coutinho still hasn’t had his future resolved, with manager Steven Gerrard desperate to keep him at Villa Park beyond his loan spell from Barcelona.

However, if he doesn’t make his temporary stay at the club permanent at the end of the season, the Liverpool legend may be forced into the transfer market to find a longer-term replacement for the midfielder – brought in to help replace Jack Grealish, and John Swift could be that man to fill the void.

What’s the news?

Having been long-term admirers of the Reading midfielder, the Championship side’s former manager John McDermott has claimed that the former Chelsea youth prospect could thrive in Gerrard’s team.

“It’s hard to say [If Swift could make it in the Premier League] – you could stick him in at someone like Aston Villa as technically he’s very good,” McDermott said on BBC Radio Berkshire. “He makes goals, he scores goals and I can see him ending up at somewhere like Aston Villa or someone like Leeds United.

“He can play, he sees a pass but it’s hard to say [how good he could be] until you put them in that environment.”

He can make the step up

Described as “super-talented” by former Royals boss Veljko Paunovic at the beginning of the season, the 26-year-old midfielder will be available for free this summer, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

Having scored an incredible 11 goals and adding 13 more assists in 35 appearances for the struggling Championship relegation candidates, only Fulham duo Aleksandar Mitrovic and Harry Wilson have averaged higher match ratings than his 7.28, with the Serbian striker on top with a 7.65, and the Welsh winger just below with 7.40.

His form has been nothing short of remarkable, given Reading sit in 21st in the second tier, and with him taking 2.1 shots per game and 2.7 key passes per game – he is certainly capable of becoming a prime creator in the Premier League with his level of footballing intelligence, surrounded by higher quality players.

Grealish made 16 goal contributions last season for Villa before signing for Manchester City this summer in a deal worth £105.75m, and while Swift may not quite reach that valuation – his 24 goal contributions for Reading is evidence that he could be just as active in the final third – from an even deeper position than the England international.

That is something certainly worth shouting about if you are among Villa’s recruitment team.

In other news: Insider drops “serious” behind-scenes AVFC update that will scare supporters

Celtic have had a number of successful academy graduates make their way through to the first team at Parkhead over the years.

Callum McGregor and James Forrest are two great examples of players who have been able to rise through the ranks and establish themselves as key stars for the Hoops at senior level.

However, some talented prospects can slip through the cracks and that is what happened with left-back Aaron Hickey in Glasgow. He was brought to the club from Hearts in 2017 and did not make a single first-team outing as a teenager before Brendan Rodgers sanctioned his exit back to Tynecastle for nothing in the summer of 2018.

Two years later, Italian side Bologna snapped him up from the Scottish side and he is now attracting interest from England.

Fabrizio Romano recently reported that Premier League side Newcastle United are eyeing up a deal worth up to £20m for the youngster, which means his value has risen astronomically in the space of around four years. The Magpies are looking to snap him up this summer after watching him catch the eye in Italy this season.

In the Serie A, he has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 6.89 across 27 appearances. He has been able to showcase his attacking flair from full-back with four goals and one assist, whilst creating 0.5 chances per game.

Defensively, he has been solid throughout the campaign. Hickey has averaged 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game and has only been dribbled past 0.3 times per match, winning 60% of his overall duels in the Italian top-flight. This shows that he is a strong defender who also offers quality in possession, which makes him a modern-day full-back who can make an impact at both ends of the pitch.

At the age of 19, he also has the potential to improve further. He is in the infancy of his professional career and has plenty of time to develop further and progress as a left-back. If he is able to continue growing and raising his standards on the pitch then that £20m may start to look like a bargain and Celtic could rue their decision even more as time passes.

His former manager Daniel Stendl previously labelled him as an “extraordinary talent” and the youngster’s statistics in the Serie A at such a young age back that up. 

Hickey’s form since leaving Celtic and his immense potential as a player prove that Rodgers made a huge blunder by not offering him a route to the first-team and allowing him to leave fo nothing. He slipped through the now-Leicester boss’ clutches and the Hoops will surely be wondering what could have been, as they look set to watch him seal a potential mega-money move this summer.

AND in other news, £3m wasted: Celtic had a shocker on £7.9k-p/w “loner” who rinsed Desmond for 129 weeks…