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West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice has reportedly agreed terms regarding a move away from the London Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report from Spain (via Caught Offside), which claims that the 23-year-old has agreed personal terms with Chelsea ahead of a potential switch to Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window.

The report goes on to state that West Ham would demand a figure of around £120m in order to part with the England international at the end of the current campaign, while it is also stated that Manchester United are another side extremely keen on a move for the midfielder this summer.

Catastrophe

Considering just how crucial Rice is within David Moyes’ side, should the West Ham board go on to sanction the sale of the midfield maestro this summer – even if it is for a figure in the region of £120m – it would undoubtedly be something of a catastrophe for the Hammers.

Indeed, the £75m-rated 22-year-old has arguably been the Irons’ most impressive player since breaking into the senior squad back in 2017, earning a SofaScore match rating of 6.72 over 26 Premier League appearances in 2017/18, 6.94 over 34 league outings in 2018/19, 6.99 over 38 top-flight fixtures in 2019/20 and 7.08 over 32 games last season.

However, it has undoubtedly been over his 26 Premier League appearances in the current campaign in which the £62k-per-week Englishman has proven that he is truly a world-class midfielder, scoring one goal, registering four assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.7 interceptions, 2.4 tackles, 51.9 passes and winning 5.4 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per game.

These returns have seen the player who Teddy Sheringham dubbed “invaluable” average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.20, not only ranking him as Moyes’ best performer in the Premier League but also as the joint 26th-best player in the division as a whole.

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As such, it is clear for all to see that losing the services of the club’s “leader” – in the words of Luke Chadwick – this summer would come as a major blow to West Ham’s progression as a team – as, without Rice in the middle of the park, the Hammers can forget making a push for a top-four finish next season.

In other news: Moyes can axe “unbelievable” £31k-p/w WHU ace by unleashing “fearless” 20 y/o “unit”

Sky Sports’ Paul Robinson has showered David Moyes with praise following the changes he undertook at West Ham’s Rush Green training ground in preparation for their clash against Wolves.

The Lowdown: Back to winning ways

The Hammers rebounded from a string of winless games with their 1-0 victory over Wolves at the weekend.

Tomas Soucek was the only scorer in the clash as he netted in the 59th minute, securing three points for the Irons, who continue to chase Champions League qualification.

As quoted by football.london, Moyes revealed that changes had been made at the club’s Rush Green training ground last week in specific preparation for their fixture against Bruno Lage’s side.

He further claimed that it was these changes that allowed his squad to flourish.

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The Latest: Robinson’s verdict

Robinson, who regularly features as a pundit for Sky Sports, asserted that these changes are the “the sign of a top-class manager”.

Speaking with Football Insider, he claimed:

“He saw what was going on. He understood what the mood of his players were and how to get them going again.

“It’s so important to have an understanding of how the squad is feeling. You get a sense when things are not quite right. It is strange. It is like a sixth sense.

“Over the past few weeks, results and performances haven’t been what they want. As a player and as a manager you get a feeling. For Moyes to sense that and to mix up training is credit to him.

“I know Moyes is extremely passionate about what he does. He is a workaholic. He works so hard both on and off the training ground. Every minute of the day he is thinking about his team. He is engrossed 24/7. 

“To have that kind of a knowledge and experience in those situations is invaluable. Moyes is a top, top manager.”

The Verdict: Positive signs for the Irons

These changes have illustrated just how necessary it is for Moyes to switch up the side’s tactics and formation every so often, in a bid to rejuvenate the squad.

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However, keeping this up may prove difficult with West Ham’s limited squad depth, which proved to be a talking point during the January window. This issue will be exacerbated by the intense schedule that the Hammers face, which sees them compete in the English top-flight, the Europa League and the Emirates FA Cup.

As a result, this is a positive sign, but it may not prove to be a sustainable practice for Moyes.

In other news: Tom Clark left intrigued by Ben Johnson’s claims

Everton are reportedly now eyeing up a bargain move in the summer for Djordje Mihailovic.

The Lowdown: Making a name

Mihailovic is certainly making a name for himself in the MLS with Montreal, where he managed a whopping 14 assists and a further four goals from midfield in 34 games in total last season (Transfermarkt).

Described as ‘fantastic’ last year by North America football journalist Manuel Veth, he is another player catching the eye in the States, and could well make the move to English football like Christian Pulisic and Josh Sargent have in recent times.

The Latest: Everton lurking

As per Jeunes Footeux, the Goodison Park faithful are just one of a number of clubs to have ‘closely followed’ Mihailovic, including both Newcastle United and Leeds United from the Premier League.

AS Roma, Bologna, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and OGC Nice are also mentioned as teams interested in his signature, which would cost no less than €8m (£6.7m).

The news outlet describe this price as ‘very affordable’ compared to his talent, given that he is also at a good age for improvement at just 23.

The Verdict: Bargain

Mihailovic certainly has a lot of potential, and so signing him up now for less than £7m could prove to be a real bargain.

Dubbed a ‘gorgeous passer’ by MLS journalist Chris Smith, the attacking midfield player averaged no fewer than 2.3 key passes per game in the MLS last campaign, more than what any other Toffees player is currently managing in the Premier League, while his 1.7 dribbles per appearance are only matched by winger Demarai Gray.

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A key influence in the middle of the park, Frank Lampard would surely love to work with him, and providing that they can stay up, Mihailovic could be a mainstay in the top flight for years to come.

In other news, find out who the Blues have officially offered a contract to here!

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has relayed an injury update regarding defender Leo Hjelde ahead of the clash with Aston Villa.  

The Lowdown: Hjelde’s absence

Hjelde, labelled as a ‘superb player’ by Paddy Kenny, has made three senior appearances for the Whites this season.

He featured for 67 minutes in Leeds’ last win away at West Ham back in January but hasn’t been seen since hobbling off against Everton last month.

The 18-year-old sustained a knee injury at Goodison Park, and Jesse Marsch has revealed the Norwegian required surgery last week.

The Latest: Hay’s post

Hay took to Twitter on Wednesday to relay news from Marsch’s pre-Villa press conference.

He confirmed that Hjelde has had surgery but may be able to feature before the 2021/22 season comes to an end.

“Leo Hjelde has undergone surgery on the knee injury he suffered against Everton. Marsch hopefully that he might be available before the end of the season.”

The Verdict: From bad to worse

Leeds’ injury issues just haven’t stopped during the current campaign, and this update on Hjelde isn’t exactly ideal.

The Whites were seemingly hopeful that the defender would make a full recovery without needing surgery, but that obviously hasn’t proven to be the case, resulting in the club’s problems going from bad to worse.

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It’s good news that he still may have a role to play this season, but Marsch won’t be able to call upon the exciting teenager in the foreseeable future, yet another hit to the depth at his disposal.

In other news: Phil Hay drops huge Leeds news from Thorp Arch before Villa. 

Alasdair Gold has dropped a promising update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp.

What’s the talk?

In a recent article for football.london, the Tottenham correspondent revealed that Fabio Paratici’s discussions with the 21-year-old regarding a new deal are believed to be nearing a conclusion – something that would see the England U21 international earn a significant pay rise, as well as securing his long-term future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In his report, Gold wrote: “There is at least one big boost for the midfielder and the club as football.london understands that discussions over a bumper new deal for the talented 21-year-old are nearing a positive conclusion following his impressive breakthrough season.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Skipp has been for Spurs this season, the news that the club are close to securing a new deal for the defensive midfielder is sure to have left supporters buzzing.

Indeed, over his 18 Premier League appearances in the current campaign, the £18m-rated youngster has been in fantastic form for Antonio Conte’s side, making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 1.8 tackles, 42.3 passes and winning 3.6 duels – at a success rate of 54% – per game.

These returns have seen the £24k-per-week sensation average a SofaScore match rating of 6.81, ranking him as Tottenham’s joint 15th-best performer in the top flight – a highly impressive feat considering this is his first full season at the top of the English game.

Furthermore, the 52-year-old Italian coach is clearly a huge fan of the midfielder, with Conte stating of Skipp earlier this season:

“This player is very young. He has really a lot of space for improvement. He played with great intensity, great passion, with heart, with soul. I think it was important because, for me, he doesn’t care if he’s only 21-years-old, who deserves to play.

“I think that the present and the future depends on him. If he wants to become a top midfielder, he could become a top midfielder – but he has to continue to work. He has this will, this desire to become an important player for Tottenham and for the present and for the future.”

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As such, it is clear for all to see that Skipp putting pen to paper on a new contract would be a fantastic outcome for the club, as the 21-year-old would very much appear to be the base on which the Tottenham midfield will be built upon for many a year to come.

And in other news: Better than Kane: 95-touch dynamo proved THFC “are more complete” with him in the team

It is easy to see why Tottenham Hotspur decided to splash a considerable amount of money on the signing of Pape Matar Sarr last summer – €18m (£15m), to be exact – as the defensive midfielder highly impressed in his breakthrough campaign with FC Metz last season.

Indeed, over his 22 Ligue 1 appearances last time out, the £18m-rated youngster bagged three goals, as well as made an average of 1.2 interceptions, two tackles, completed 36 passes and won 5.1 duels per game.

These returns saw the 19-year-old earn an extremely impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Metz’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of French football – playing a key role in his side securing a very respectable 10th place finish in the division.

However, following his summer switch to Spurs – who subsequently loaned the Senegal international back to the Ligue 1 side – Sarr’s form has rather worryingly faltered.

Indeed, over his 24 Ligue 1 outings in the current campaign – only 15 of which have come as starts – the £11k-per-week youngster has so far scored one goal, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.6 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 25.8 passes and winning 3.7 duels per fixture – all of which are down on the same metrics the previous season.

These returns have seen the player who Fabio Paratici dubbed “one of the most talented in Europe” and a “great signing” average a disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.70, ranking him as Metz’s joint 18th-best player in the league this time out.

As such, while there is undoubtedly still a great deal of time in which the young midfielder can improve, considering his drop off in performance this year, in addition to the fact that Spurs have now have Antonio Conte at the helm – a manager who very much likes to have a say in his club’s signings – Paratici’s decision to spend a considerable amount of money on Sarr could well have already proven to be something of a mistake on the part of the sporting director.

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Indeed, while Tanguy Ndombele’s record-breaking £63m signing was not the Italian’s doing, there are already worrying similarities between the deal for the France international and the one for Sarr – with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium faithful undoubtedly hoping the 19-year-old will not go on to follow the same path as the £120k-per-week flop.

AND in other news: “Incredibly deadly”, “Robben-esque”: Paratici plotting Spurs swoop for £36m-rated ace

Leeds United would’ve raked in a whopping £132.5m in today’s money, according to The Athletic.

This has been revealed in a new study conducted by football finance experts Kieran Maguire and Jason Laws, who have developed an inflation calculator which adjusts based on revenue increases in the English game over time.

In 2002, a pint of beer would’ve set you back around £2, but in 2022, you’d be lucky to spend less than £4. Similarly, a loaf of white bread cost around 50p two decades ago – now it exceeds the £1 mark.

But calculating football fees based on the country’s inflation (2.8% per year) isn’t enough as it doesn’t account for TV deals and other revenue streams – for example, the Premier League signed a new deal for 2022-25 worth £5.1bn for their domestic rights alone.

Ferdinand departed Elland Road for a world-record fee for a defender of £30m in July 2002, joining Manchester United, where he would go onto win six league titles and one Champions League, amongst other feats.

Using Maguire and Laws’ metrics, if the BT Sport pundit were sold in the modern day, the Yorkshire giants would’ve earned a whopping £132.5m, which would eclipse the current records for English and defensive transfers.

In the summer, Manchester City splashed a British-record £100m on Jack Grealish, whilst no defender across the globe has cost more than the £80m that the Red Devils paid for Harry Maguire in 2019.

Ferdinand’s departure was met with quite an uproar at the time, understandably so given that he joined one of the Whites’ biggest rivals at the time, following in the footsteps of Eric Cantona, about whom many at the Yorkshire club were still very bitter.

When the former England centre-back knew of interest from Sir Alex Ferguson – who would go onto laud him as “phenomenal” – and co, he sat in then-Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale’s office for six hours to thrash out an exit.

“At Leeds I went and sat in Mr. Ridsdale’s office and just sat there and waited for about five, six hours and said I’m not going until you sort out the deal for me to go to Man Utd,” he revealed to BT Sport (via The Mirror.

“I didn’t go public, I didn’t need to go. We got to a compromise, we got to a situation where he felt he was getting the right part of the deal and I got my opportunity to go to Man Utd.

“But I was adamant I wanted to go because that was the right time and the right move for me.”

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United’s initial offer started at £22m for the towering colossus before Ridsdale managed to eke out a further £8m, which in the eyes of some around Elland Road was still not enough for such a crucial player.

There’s no doubt that his transfer to the red side of Manchester contributed to the undeniable furore which exits between the two bitter rivals but, upon reflection, it’s a deal which turned out to be worth its weight in gold.

AND in other news, Forget Raphinha: Marsch heading for big Leeds nightmare over £42m-rated “rare talent”…

Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani could walk away from Elland Road by the end of this year, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Leeds’ glorious period under Radrizzani

The Italian bought 50% of the Yorkshire club back in January 2017 before eventually taking sole ownership in May of the same year.

Under Radrizzani, Leeds have enjoyed a tremendous period of success, with Marcelo Bielsa a superb appointment as manager and promotion to the Premier League achieved, followed by a top-half finish upon their return to the top flight.

Howerver, with 49ers Enterprises’ influence at Elland Road now growing, it feels as though his time as Leeds owner could be slowly coming to an end.

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The Latest: Journalist expects change soon

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that there could be different owners at Leeds United by the end of 2022. He has predicted:

“I think we’ll start to see more investment start to come into the club from the following January transfer window.

“I’m not sure exactly with Radrizzani, but look out for it on the back of the summer because I think we should hopefully be a little clearer by the end of the year.”

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The Verdict: New era dawning at Elland Road

With Jesse Marsch replacing Bielsa as manager last month, it does feel as though a new era is dawning at Leeds – one which looks set to be American-driven in the coming years.

Under 49ers Enterprises, the Whites could have more financial power, allowing more signings to come in and ensuring that the club continues to grow into the future.

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That being said, the short-term importance of Leeds remaining in the Premier League is the priority, with relegation potentially setting them back years. In that respect, the next few months are massive for the club’s future.

In other news, a journalist has talked up one forgotten Leeds player leaving this summer. Find out who it is here.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been linked with a high-profile move to Man City recently, and the Blues are believed to be thinking about replacements behind-the-scenes.

Their fairly inconsistent season under Maresca has left them still sitting in fourth after 17 matches, with Chelsea most recently fighting back to secure a hard-fought 2-2 draw at Newcastle United.

The Italian has faced mounting scrutiny in recent weeks amid a fairly uninspiring run of just two wins from their last six in all competitions, including a damaging 3-1 defeat at Leeds, a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League and lifeless stalemate at Bournemouth.

Saturday’s 2-2 comeback at St James’ Park offered some encouragement after the Blues recovered from two goals down to salvage a point, but the performance highlighted the defensive fragility that has plagued Maresca’s side throughout 25/26.

The manager has rotated a lot due to injuries and tactical experimentation so far, more than any other Premier League manager, and questions remain about whether Maresca’s squad possesses the experience and quality to challenge Arsenal, Man City and Aston Villa at the summit.

In the last week, doubts have also begun to surface around Maresca’s long-term future.

Related Fabrizio Romano says 24-year-old has now played his last game for Chelsea

He doesn’t have a future in west London.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini

The reliable David Ornstein broke news recently that City have identified him as a possible heir to Pep Guardiola, considering this could be the legendary Spaniard’s final season at Eastlands.

While Maresca has publicly denied any interest in a return to City, where he once served as Guardiola’s assistant during the treble-winning season, the 45-year-old caused quite a stir with his comments before Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Everton.

The tactician claimed the 48 hours leading up to that game were the ‘worst’ of his career at Stamford Bridge, citing a lack of support, and with no context, many have speculated over tension with the Chelsea hierarchy.

Reports suggest Chelsea have candidates in mind to replace Maresca if he does leave, with one Spanish media source now claiming they could turn to an ex-defender of theirs.

Chelsea identify Filipe Luis as 'perfect fit' to replace Enzo Maresca

Indeed, it is now believed that Chelsea have turned their attention to Flamengo manager Filipe Luis as a ‘perfect fit’ to take over should Maresca depart.

The young Brazilian coach has enjoyed a spectacular start to his managerial career in Rio de Janeiro.

Luis has transformed Flamengo into a dominant force both domestically and abroad since taking charge, winning multiple titles, including the Copa Libertadores, and guiding them to the final of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, where they were only beaten on penalties by PSG.

The 40-year-old’s rapid success has attracted interest from several major European clubs, with Chelsea identifying him as a firm candidate to potentially step into Maresca’s shoes.

Subscribe to our newsletter for managerial transfer insight Want deeper context on managerial rumours and club succession plans? Subscribe to the newsletter for focused analysis, profiles of potential candidates and clear explanations that help you understand how coaching moves shape top clubs’ futures. Subscribe Subscribe to our newsletter for managerial transfer insight Want deeper context on managerial rumours and club succession plans? Subscribe to the newsletter for focused analysis, profiles of potential candidates and clear explanations that help you understand how coaching moves shape top clubs’ futures.

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Chelsea’s main obstacle in securing Luis has been his contract situation at Flamengo, with the Brazilian Serie A side expected to offer him a lucrative extension following their recent success.

However, reports suggest negotiations have cooled unexpectedly, opening a window of opportunity for European suitors to make their move.

Chelsea are reportedly prepared to advance on a pre-agreement that would secure him for the future, with Stamford Bridge chiefs believing his profile fits seamlessly with their project.

For now though, Maresca remains focused on Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures as he attempts to guide the Blues back into title contention.

Related Bayern Munich insider confirms Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea interest in Michael Olise

He could replace Mohamed Salah.

Posts ByTom Cunningham

After a handful of lacklustre performances up front from Everton’s strikers, manager Marco Silva decided to make a change.

Richarlison joined the club in the summer from Watford for a figure in the region of £40m.

The Brazilian predominantly plays as a winger, but after his goalscoring antics, Silva experimented by playing the 21-year-old up front.

Richarlison has been positioned in the new role for Everton’s last three Premier League games, and in that time he has scored once and created a single assist.

With the January transfer window approaching, Silva may consider dipping into the market to recruit a new striker.

However, for the time being he has Cenk Tosun, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Oumar Niasse.

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Everton will be aiming to bounce back this weekend following their 2-1 loss to Manchester United on Sunday.

Next up for the Toffees is a home clash against Brighton at Goodison Park.

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Would Richarlison be more effective if he was brought back to the wing?

Let us know by voting below.