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RB Salzburg striker Patson Daka has turned down the advances of West Ham United, according to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Daka was prolific for the Austrian champions last season, scoring 27 goals in 28 league appearances. On average, he netted every 72 minutes.

The Zambian international is valued at £19.8million by Transfermarkt and has three years remaining on his contract.

The report states that West Ham are among the clubs to have registered their interest in signing the 22-year-old.

The latest

Daka’s camp has communicated the player’s intention to move to a higher-level club.

As well as West Ham, who have qualified for next season’s Europa League, he has rejected Ligue 1 outfit Monaco.

The Irons are in the market for a striker who can offer ‘cover and competition’ for Michail Antonio.

‘Many other’ Premier League teams are hopeful of landing Daka, with a recruitment source revealing the Hammers’ failed interest.

The verdict

This is a blow for West Ham, who would have hoped that European qualification would have boosted their pulling power.

However, Daka may not quite as good as his league record suggests. He failed to score in the Champions League group stages or the Europa League Round of 32 this season, for instance, so perhaps is benefitting from player in a much inferior domestic league.

While suitors will be hoping that he can emulate Erling Haaland in thriving after leaving Austria, he could just as easily struggle like former team-mates Takumi Minamino and Hee-chan Hwang, who failed to score a league goal for RB Leipzig in 2020/21.

In other news, West Ham fans reacted to this development in their pursuit of a centre-back. 

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s hopes of keeping Southampton striker Danny Ings this summer may have suffered a blow after Manchester United registered an interest in the England international.

According to The Telegraph, Manchester United have made enquiries about the 28-year-old’s situation at St Mary’s as they look to add to their attacking options ahead of next season, despite Edinson Cavani committing to a new one-year contract at Old Trafford earlier this month.

Ings has just one year left on his contract with the Saints but Hasenhuttl has repeatedly suggested that the striker won’t be allowed to leave the club this summer.

This is despite the former Liverpool man seemingly refusing to sign a new deal with the south coast outfit as he eyes a move to a club who can offer him European football in the near future, something which he would have at Old Trafford after their second-placed finish in the Premier League.

Therefore, even if Hasenhuttl is desperate to keep Ings, it seems likely that the striker could be tempted by a switch to Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s side. The Austrian may be forced to cash in on him while he still can, rather than keeping an unhappy Ings at the club and potentially losing him for nothing next summer.

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Despite some injury problems, the 28-year-old is still Southampton’s top scorer in the Premier League this season with 12 goals, and he emphasised his immense quality on his return to the side recently by scoring a brace in a 3-1 win against Crystal Palace.

Ings is certainly one of the key players in Hasenhuttl’s team, and his partnership with Che Adams has really grown this season, which should give Southampton fans plenty to be hopeful about next season if they can both stay fit.

Unfortunately, Ings may well have his head turned by the interest from Manchester United, and if they submit a substantial bid for the “first-class” forward – as hailed by Clinton Morrison – it is difficult to see Southampton being able to keep him at St Mary’s, regardless of Hasenhuttl’s recent claims. That could leave the manager raging if he is unable to retain the 28-year-old, given his importance to the Saints.

In other news… Semmens can sign Southampton’s next Mane with swoop for 21 y/o wonderkid

Everton spent more than £50m on transfers last summer, and Director of Football Barry Fry expects them to go even bigger this time around – bankrolled by Bill Kenwright and Farhad Moshiri.

Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan and Norwich’s Ben Godfrey were the Toffees’ major signings 12 months ago, although even despite the free transfer addition of James Rodriguez following his departure from Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti’s team could only muster up a disappointing tenth-place finish.

Everton announced themselves as early title contenders having found themselves sitting second on Boxing Day, two points behind Merseyside neighbours Liverpool, but some key injuries saw them fall away towards the end of the campaign.

Just three victories from their final 12 games saw Ancelotti’s team slide down the table, with their defeat at Manchester City last weekend seeing them slip into tenth, their lowest position of the season.

Despite their collapse, Everton are still heading in the right direction under the Italian, and Fry told Football FanCast that he believes Ancelotti will be given every opportunity to mount a serious top four challenge next term:

“Well, I know Bill [Kenwright]very well and the owners back the club, which Ken [Kenwright] will be pleased about. You don’t fetch a manager in like you’ve got if you don’t back him.

“I think Everton will spend a lot of money in the summer – three or four quality players to go knocking on the door for the Champions League next season. No doubt in my mind.

“They brought the guy in to do a job, they’ve got to back him – and they will.”

Cedric Itten’s days at Rangers could be numbered after the arrival of Fashion Sakala, with the striker having failed to impress in his first season in Steven Gerrard’s side at Ibrox.

Rangers confirmed earlier this week that they had completed a deal for Sakala, who will join on a free transfer from Belgian Pro League side KV Oostende in the summer when his contract expires.

The 24-year-old has scored 13 goals so far this season and has found his scoring boots with the Belgian outfit after failing to make the grade at Spartak Moscow, so will be hoping to continue his fine form at Ibrox next season.

It seems likely that he will compete with Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe for a starting spot in Gerrard’s side, which could be bad news for Itten, who has struggled for regular game time since joining from St Gallen last summer in a £3m deal.

The Switzerland international has managed just six goals in his debut campaign at Ibrox, although he has been limited to just nine starts in all competitions, with the majority of his appearances for Gerrard’s side coming from the bench.

However, his performances have earned him a less than impressive 6.43 average WhoScored rating in the Premiership, which ranks him as the fifth-worst performer in Gerrard’ current squad this season, so he could quickly find himself surplus to requirements next season if Sakala impresses in a Rangers shirt.

In recent fixtures, 38-year-old Jermaine Defoe has been preferred to Itten from the bench, with the Swiss striker’s last appearance coming in the 1-1 draw with St Johnstone last month. That day, he earned a poor 6.32 WhoScored rating for his performance, whereas Defoe was the man to come off the bench in the 4-1 Old Firm derby win, marking it with a goal.

With recent reports suggesting that the veteran striker could stay at Ibrox for another year, it is difficult to see where Itten fits in as he hasn’t shown much this season to suggest that he will be able to displace Morelos or Roofe in the starting XI at Rangers next term.

Therefore, it could be fair to suggest that his Ibrox days are numbered unless he can drastically improve his performances next season, and it will be interesting to see who out of him and Sakala can impress Gerrard the most in the 2021/22 campaign.

In other news… Kamara heir apparent: Gerrard should unleash 21 y/o gem who’s as “brave as a lion”

Manchester United duo Anthony Martial and Dan James are set to return to the first team squad for this evening’s fixture against Fulham, providing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a huge boost ahead of the Europa League final.

What’s the latest?

Martial has been sidelined with a hip injury and a ruptured knee ligament since early March, missing United’s last 13 games in all competitions, while James has been absent since the second leg against Roma with an injury issue.

After the 25-year-old France international incurred his injury setback on international duty, Solskjaer revealed his fears that Martial may be out for the remainder of the season, but it seems as though the forward has recovered ahead of schedule.

In a recent press conference (via Manchester Evening News), the Red Devils boss provided a fresh update on the attacking duo ahead of tonight’s clash with the already-relegated Cottagers, disclosing how they are expected to play some part at Old Trafford.

“I’m hoping to get Anthony (Martial) and Dan (James) back involved in this game which is a very good boost for us. Maybe they can even start against Wolves, and then maybe if they’re sensational? It’s hard to leave players out if they really perform at their highest level,” said Solskjaer.

A significant boost

While Martial has not enjoyed his most fruitful campaign in a United shirt, the former Monaco man has still managed to record some respectable numbers throughout 2020/21

The Frenchman has bagged seven goals and provided nine assists in 36 appearances for the 20-time English champions and could play a significant role as they attempt to end the club’s longest trophy drought in more than 30 years.

Although James has struggled at times since making the step up from Swansea two seasons ago, the Wales international has enjoyed some of his best displays for the Red Devils in the Europa League, as his 6.99 WhoScored rating illustrates. His performance in the 4-0 win over Real Sociedad in February, when he scored one goal and set up another, showcased what he is capable of producing when at his best.

Therefore, the duo’s return to action tonight should provide a significant boost to Solskjaer’s attacking options ahead of the showpiece event against Villarreal, and the Norwegian must be buzzing to see Martial and James form part of his matchday squad once again.

In other news…Major Manchester United transfer update emerges; fans will surely be buzzing – opinion

Many Glasgow Rangers fans are far from happy with a headline from The Scottish Sun which appeared to twist the words of Steven Gerrard on Nikola Katic’s injury.

While the Gers have enjoyed a fantastic campaign, Katic has had to watch the entirety of it from the sidelines – he unfortunately picked up a damaging injury in pre-season training (BBC) and has therefore not played a single minute this term (Transfermarkt). Given that he made 29 appearances last time out before the 2019/20 campaign was brought to a premature close, he would no doubt have played regularly this season had he been available.

Speaking prior to the Gers’ clash with Hibernian today, Gerrard revealed that the 24-year-old Croatian is unlikely to play for the rest of the current campaign, but they are hoping he will be fit for pre-season in a few months (The Scottish Sun). This is as expected, but The Scottish Sun framed it on Twitter as a ‘fresh injury blow’.

The Gers supporters were far from happy with the headline, which was shared on Twitter by @ibroxrocks, and they took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Katic headline below

“Block the lot of them. Fan media is the way forward.”

Credit: @StewNCF

“It’s daily they make stuff up !!!”

Credit: @glasgowgolfer77

“They are as bad as storylines in Eastenders.”

Credit: @dave_n84

“Its because they are scared of the big man coming back we could have won champions league! First CB to score 55 goals in a season 😉 We were not event in it he is that good!”

Credit: @dexmc1873

“Clickbait rather than factual journalism. More clicks = more ad ££s since paper sales are dwindling. As the famous philosopher Denzel Washington once said….. the papers/media don’t care who or what they hurt it’s just see it say it sell it. Get it out. Who cares if true.”

Credit: @JayP35271858

“I mean it must be pretty embarrassing for a national paper to be shown up and then forced to change their headlines almost immediately Is it too hard to ask we just get what is being said and it not sensationalised to nonsense headlines? No fresh injury and clickbait nonsense”

Credit: @4ladshadadream

In other news, some Rangers fans love this Old Firm news.

Crystal Palace are reportedly eyeing a move for former loan star Ruben Loftus-Cheek this summer.

According to TEAMtalk, the Eagles are plotting a swoop for the Chelsea midfielder in the summer and are vying with Premier League rivals Aston Villa for his signature.

Steve Parish must make sure Palace win the battle for the Englishman.

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The Eagles will certainly already be aware of Loftus-Cheek’s talents, with the 25-year-old spending a season on-loan at Selhurst Park throughout the 2017/18 campaign – a period in which he impressed by scoring two goals and providing five assists in all competitions.

Whilst he has not quite been able to display that form over the past couple of years, having scored just one goal for Chelsea and Fulham combined over the past two campaigns, he did enjoy his most productive season upon his return from Palace.

As the Blues lifted the UEFA Europa League under Maurizio Sarri, Loftus-Cheek notched ten goals and provided five assists.

Rated at £18m, his ability has never been in doubt. Despite his lean campaign at Craven Cottage, Fulham manager Scott Parker has been left waxing lyrical about Loftus-Cheek even labelling him as “unplayable”.

It goes without saying that he could certainly be the type of player that Crystal Palace needs.

The Eagles face going into the 2021/22 season with depleted midfield options as James McArthur and James McCarthy continue seeing their Selhurst Park deals tick down towards the end of the season.

Whilst Jesuran Rak-Sakyi is capable, it would possibly be too early to depend on him for the majority of a Premier League campaign with the midfielder just 18 years old.

Loftus-Cheek would, of coursem have no problems in that department having racked up 104 appearances in the competition.

Competing with Aston Villa then, Palace must ensure that they secure their former loan star once again.

AND in more news, take a closer look at how Mamadou Sakho’s time at Palace has been an unmitigated disaster…

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to an apparent leaked photo of the Reds’ 2021/22 kit, with many not keen on it.

When it comes to kits, football supporters can often find themselves fascinated by them.

The sight of your team wearing a brand-new strip often brings fresh hope and optimism, as we dream of our heroes lifting silverware in their new attire.

Liverpool have had some glorious outfits down the years, from the glory days of the 1970s and 1980s right the way through to the present period.

[freshpress-quiz id=“313155″]

The Reds are coming towards the end of their first season in a Nike kit, having switched from New Balance last summer, with their new manufacturer not exactly bringing a huge amount of luck in 2020/21.

A photo shared by LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) on Twitter seemingly shows what Liverpool’s strip next season will look like, with both the home and away jerseys on show.

Liverpool fans react to leaked kit

It’s fair to say that the image hasn’t been met with resounding positivity, with these Reds supporters taking to Twitter to provide their honest thoughts on it.

“Dreadful”

Credit: @praneeth1012

“How are people who are paid legal tender by Nike worse at designing kits than people on Twitter who do it as a hobby?”

Credit: @NotoriousJOS

“That’s a hard pass for me this year. Didn’t even get to wear this season’s kit to the pub that much, so will stick with it.”

Credit: @BartGlilly

“OK let’s go back to NB”

Credit: @GharteyTimothy

“Terrible, hate Nike’s designs”

Credit: @ceklfc

“They’re boring. The stripes add no value. Would actually rather plain red and plain white”

Credit: @michaelbargache

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting positively to a fresh Reds transfer link. Read about it here.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans do not fully agree with comments from Steven Gerrard on the ban given out to right-back Nathan Patterson.

On Sunday, the Gers progressed to the fourth round of the Scottish Cup after beating Cove Rangers 4-0, and they will now face Celtic in the next round. Patterson started the match and got himself on the scoresheet for the second time in his senior career (Transfermarkt).

Not long ago, it seemed that his time at Rangers could be in real danger after he broke lockdown regulations along with four of his teammates to attend a small house gathering. He has now been handed a six-game ban – something which has not gone down too well with Gerrard (Daily Record).

The manager has suggested that the ban is harsh, citing the 19-year-old’s ability on the pitch as one of the reasons why the SFA should have been more lenient as he said: “”You’re talking about one of the brightest prospects ever, in terms of right-back. This kid’s going to play for Scotland and all of a sudden the SFA want to ban him for that long, I don’t get it but we’ll see what happens moving forward.”

While many Gers supporters fell short of slamming Gerrard, it appears that some didn’t seem to fully agree. These fans took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the matter.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from Gerrard below

“I completely understand what Gerrard is saying but Patterson should have thought that going partying might damage his career it’s his own fault and if he damages his career I have no sympathy”

Credit: @55Alistair

“Agree to an extent but ability shouldn’t come in to it.”

Credit: @RangersBanter17

“I really, really don’t understand what the club are doing here”

Credit: @phiw09

“I get his point but end of day he broke rules. I’m a Rangers fan, this is about Tav injury must be, they got less than Jones and Edmundson bans”

Credit: @madrugadadave16

“Hardly damaging his career. He’s young and made a mistake. He should use the punishment as a motivation not to overstep the line again. Plus if Tav was fit this wouldn’t be getting mentioned.”

Credit: @GeorgeP27576261

“I’m a lifelong Rangers fan and I don’t care how good he is or what form he is in at the moment, he did wrong as I always got told growing up ‘if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime’ it was stupid and reckless but just take the bans and move on!”

Credit: @jax1872

In other news, Rangers have been urged to sign this striker.

Crystal Palace secured a pivotal Premier League victory on Saturday as they edged past West Bromwich Albion 1-0.

The win came courtesy of a Luka Milivojevic penalty after Baggies defender Darnell Furlong had handled the ball in the area.

The Serbian proved to be the match-winner in more ways than one as he put in a dominant midfield showing for Roy Hodgson’s Eagles.

According to WhoScored, the £10.8m-rated midfielder was a crucial defensive influence in the centre of the park, producing a huge four tackles. This was more than centre-back Gary Cahill as no other player on the entire pitch managed to produce more tackles.

He was also an extremely positive presence on the ball, making 39 passes throughout the 90 minutes, more than anyone in the Palace team.

Milivojevic’s influence did not end there though as he also produced a further four clearances, an interception and a block. That role was pivotal then as the Baggies, who are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the Premier League, ramped up the pressure in search of an equalising goal.

Speaking of pressure, the former Olympiakos man stayed cool to convert at the key moment for the Eagles.

Eventually awarded a penalty after a lengthy VAR delay, he beat Sam Johnstone with consummate ease, sending the West Brom stopper the wrong way and coolly slotting home into the bottom-right corner of the net for what was surprisingly his first Premier League goal of the campaign.

Considering Palace’s position in the table and the long delay, that spot-kick was certainly pressurised. Hodgson’s men now sit comfortably 11 points above the relegation zone thanks to the penalty and, of course, the victory, the key to that being midfielder Luka Milivojevic.

AND in more news, take a look at another one of Palace’s stars against West Brom – Christian Benteke…