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According to ExWHUemployee, West Ham United could move for Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi in this summer’s transfer window.

A recent report claimed that Otamendi was open to leaving City this summer.

The 31-year-old has made 29 appearances for the Citizens this season, but just 16 of those have come in the Premier League.

The Argentina international could seemingly look for a route away from the Premier League champions ahead of the 2019-2020 campaign.

According to ExWHUemployee, West Ham are considering a move.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The London club’s supporters have been on social media reacting to the interest and it would be fair to say that there are some mixed opinions.

Indeed, whilst a number would be more than happy to take the title-winning centre-back, others feel that the Hammers should be looking at younger options in that area of the field.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the West Ham fans can be seen below:

Newcastle are looking more likely to be plying their trade in the Premier League again next season, after another post-Christmas magic trick performed by Rafa The Great.

There are many comparisons between this season and last, but the one constant is that neither would have been possible without their Spanish wizard Rafa Benitez.

It is imperative that the club convince him to sign a new contract at St James’ Park, and they should be pulling out all the stops to do so.

The best way to extend his stay is to let him know that their vision for the future matches his.

One way to do that is to make signings that are a statement of intent.

The Newcastle transfer blueprint has long been known — buy talent under the age of 25, and see their value increase as they are nurtured by one of the best coaches and tacticians in the game.

While this philosophy has some merit, it is which talent they bring in that will ultimately prove whether it works or not.

This summer sees Newcastle likely to lose Mo Diame on a free, Jonjo Shelvey for a modest fee and Isaac Hayden, who has requested a move all season for family reasons.

With a midfield overhaul on the cards, Newcastle will need someone to partner their academy graduate, and now key member (when fit) of their midfield, Sean Longstaff.

James Ward-Prowse would be the perfect fit for Newcastle and their transfer policy. He is 24-years-old, English and a rising star in the Premier League — as recognised by his call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad this week.

Southampton are still in serious danger of going down, and with Ward-Prowse now getting a sniff of international football, he will surely not be keen on playing Championship football, should the worst happen to the Saints.

He has scored six goals in 21 appearances for the South coast club this season, and his ability to control games from the middle of the park is exactly what Newcastle need.

The last time Newcastle made (and tried) such an ambitious signing was Shelvey himself back in 2016 from Swansea – prizing a talented fairly young England international from a fellow Premier League struggler – and look how well that turned out.

Why not give it a go? With talk of a potential marquee signing coming in (as per the Chronicle) to appease Benitez, a player of Ward-Prowse’s profile would be excellent.

What would you make of Newcastle bringing in a player like James Ward-Prowse? Would he be the perfect fit? Let us know what you think…

The life of a goalkeeper can be lonely at times.

You normally spend the least amount of time on the ball during a game than anyone else, and you’re the first player to be blamed should your team lose by a goal or two. Now how to do you think the backup keeper on the bench feels?

Backup goalkeepers are some of the most patient people in the game of football. These players could spend months, if not years, just waiting on the bench hoping for an opportunity to come up so they can impress the manager and the fans that they belong a place in the starting eleven.

For Spurs keeper Michel Vorm, this has been his career since 2014 when the then Swansea ‘keeper made the move from the Welsh side to the English capital as back-up for Hugo Lloris in the prime years of his career.

Although Vorm is a liked and respected figure in the Spurs dressing room, people forget that during his time at Swansea the Dutch international was one of the most consistent performers between the sticks in the Premier League.

During his first season in the top flight, Vorm kept 13 clean sheets, just four less than Joe Hart who had the most that campaign with 17, and the Dutchman was named Swansea’ Supporters’ Player of the Year, Players’ Player and the Away Player awards during the same season.

For the next two seasons Vorm only kept 14 clean sheets across the two campaigns, however, the Dutch keeper was able to have his first taste of European football as Swansea made it to the Europa League group stage and eventually the round of 32 after winning the League Cup the season prior. And then Spurs came knocking for around £4.5m plus the services of Gylfi Sigurdsson.

He likely joined with the intention of rivalling Hugo Lloris for a starting berth, but as we all know, that didn’t happen.

Since the transfer Vorm has only ever made 47 appearances in the five years the now 35-year-old has been at the club, or about one appearance every 39 days the keeper has been at the club.

Vorm’s move to Spurs has not only wasted opportunities for a younger ‘keepers at Spurs to be the number two and learn from a keeper of Lloris’s quality, but it has stalled what was a promising Premier League career for the Dutch keeper who could have moved to other clubs for first-team football in his prime years.

It might be kind on his wallet, and Tottenham are undeniably lucky to have a player of his quality on the bench, but from a talent perspective, his move to Spurs has been a waste.

Spurs fans, did Tottenham make a mistake signing Vorm?

If Southampton could play like they did at Old Trafford last week, fans would never moan again. Indeed, it was such an impressive performance built on youth and hard work, it was a throwback to the old days, before the club became a mess.

Still, clearly, as impressive as that was, they obviously need to stay vigilant as they could be sucked back into the relegation scrap at any time.

There are still eight games to be played that Ralph Hasenhuttl needs to get his players up for so they can do the business.

Going forward, with the group of players he has available to him, Southampton should be maintaining their Premier League status but football isn’t always as easy as that. Mark Hughes has proven that. Oh, Mark Hughes…

So, next season, if they do manage to survive, new faces must be brought in as a state of emergency.

The Saints and their long-suffering support quite obviously do not want to battle relegation every season and a top midfielder like Victor Camarasa could help them steer clear of that problem.

Camarasa, (who is valued at £5.4 million on Transfermarkt) has been impressive since arriving in England this season, despite his team’s struggles throughout the campaign. The Bluebirds, like Southampton, are right in the middle of a relegation scrap and with Camarasa only with Neil Warnock’s side on a loan basis, he will likely move back away from the Welsh capital at the end of the season.

Although they would be desperate to keep him, Camarasa is a player who oozes Premier League quality, something that could fit very nicely into the Saints’ midfield. Often lacking any kind of drive, the Spaniard could provide that in abundance, helping lift the team when the atmosphere turns on the South Coast.

Having played 25 games in all competition so far, the former Spanish U21 star has scored three times whilst assisting three goals as well.

At the age of 24, Camarasa has time to adjust himself in a Southampton shirt and continue the good form he has shown so far with Cardiff. If he does, the St Mary’s faithful might have a new cult hero.

Southampton fans, would you take Camarasa? If so, why not? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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West Ham performed well against Crystal Palace at the weekend in the first half, taking a deserved lead through Mark Noble’s sweetly struck effort from the spot. Manuel Pellegrini’s men caused the Eagles trouble down the flanks, as Palace’s defence struggled to contain Felipe Anderson in particular.

However, in what was the embodiment of a game of two halves, the Hammers were pinned back for the entirety of the second 45 with ‘keeper Vicente Guaita a mere spectator in goal for Roy Hodgson’s side as Palace dominated.

What were they missing in the second period?

West Ham seemed lethargic after such an energetic first half, and specifically lacked a composed No.10 to calm things down and link what was a huge gap between defence and attack.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

With both Manuel Lanzini and Samir Nasri out through injury, Pellegrini deployed Robert Snodgrass ahead of Mark Noble and Declan Rice in attacking midfield, but the Scottish international failed to provide a reprieve for his teammates to help them out of Palace’s attacking onslaught.

What can Pellegrini do to solve this?

Well, January arrival Nasri is currently missing with a calf issue, but he should be back for the visit of Fulham – if anything, the performance against Palace should mean he is thrown straight back into the starting line-up and rightly so, even if he is still lacking match sharpness.

The 5 foot 9 Frenchman is an expert at linking the play in an attacking midfield role, showing lovely deft touches to bring his fellow forwards into play and moving opposition defences around.

Lanzini may not yet be fit, which is a shame for the Hammers as he is their key man who knits everything together in the final third. Whilst he remains out, however, the east London-based side must rely on Nasri to pull the strings behind the striker and get close to Javier Hernandez, who was extremely isolated at Selhurst Park.

Leeds United fans have been left discussing attacking midfielder Pablo Hernandez on social media with the Yorkshire Evening Post declaring today as ‘Pablo Day’.

Graham Smyth has compiled together an article from his teammates and coach waxing lyrical about the 34-year-old with the overriding consensus being that he’s their best player.

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And supporters have been responding in a similar nature with moments that have stood out throughout his career at Elland Road.

Hernandez originally joined the club on loan in the summer of 2016, linking up with his ex-manager Garry Monk and signed permanently just six months later.

The Spanish playmaker has gone on to record 150 appearances in west Yorkshire, scoring 33 goals as well as providing 36 assists, via Transfermarkt.

Back in November, he was rewarded with a new two-year contract extension with promotion set to trigger a further year, which only goes to show how much Marcelo Bielsa values him as a player.

Here’s what fans have been saying on Twitter…

AND in other news, Hay reveals Marcelo Bielsa’s PHENOMENAL Leeds gesture…

Leeds United experimented a little bit with their starting lineup against Arsenal on Monday evening.

Marcelo Bielsa handed out two debuts at the Emirates to Illan Meslier and Robbie Gotts.

Many Leeds fans were full of praise for the Frenchman, but supporters have seemingly been quite split on Gotts’ first taste of senior football.

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One section of the fanbase really liked what they saw from the 20-year-old, but it seems as though they’re wearing rose-tinted glasses as Gotts’ performance wasn’t brilliant.

He was given a WhoScored rating of just 5.97 while failing to really take the game by the scruff of the neck as his pass accuracy was 73.9 per cent and he made only one key pass.

Others gave a much harsher view on the youngster’s debut as they were critical of his performance.

Fortunately, you can easily excuse Gotts struggling in this match as Arsenal fielded a rather strong squad filled with former World Cup and Champions League winners.

Hopefully, Gotts can prove himself as a first-teamer if he is ever handed an opportunity in a league game against weaker opposition.

In other news, Danny Pugh exclusively told FootballFanCast that Leeds “can’t go wrong” with one signing.

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Crystal Palace must do everything in their power to sign Watford’s out-on-loan forward Dodi Lukebakio, who is absolutely bossing the Bundesliga with Fortuna Duesseldorf.

What’s the word, then?

The Eagles are really struggling for goals this season, with club talisman Wilfried Zaha their top scorer with a measly three strikes to his name. £30m forward Christian Benteke hasn’t scored for the club since April, whilst Alexander Sorloth has just one goal to his name since signing for the south Londoners almost a year ago.

As well as those two, Connor Wickham has been out injured for around two years and looks to be having real struggles with his fitness. Palace signed Ghanaian forward Jordan Ayew on loan from Swansea back in the summer in the hope of easing their striking problems, but the former Aston Villa man has only added to them – he too is yet to score a goal for the club.

It would be a hugely ambitious swoop to take a player from Watford who they clearly have high hopes for, but there is a star in Lukebakio who must be signed at all costs – he has unbelievable potential.

Who is Lukebakio?

The 20-year-old joined Watford in January of this year from Anderlecht, but made just one appearance before being shipped out on loan to the Bundesliga strugglers for the 2018/19 season.

Since that move onwards, the young Belgian has lit up the German top-flight with six goals in just seven starts, including a phenomenal hat-trick against European giants Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena – this kid is clearly a huge talent.

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Of course, the Hornets will be keeping a close eye on his development and after seeing what he has done this season, they will probably want to get him back into the fold at Vicarage Road.

Having said that, there is a fantastic prodigy there, and Palace should do all they can to prise him away from Watford before he puts his name up in lights and becomes known to more fans around Europe.

Should the Eagles sign Lukebakio? Have your say down below…

Tottenham Hotspur entered the season on the back of a summer transfer window that saw Mauricio Pochettino’s side fail to bring in a single new player, raising the pressures ahead of a difficult campaign.

The Lilywhites started off well by securing three consecutive victories to begin the campaign but lost to Watford prior to the international break, sparking plenty of discussion of whether the squad was up to the challenges that lie ahead.

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With room to improve, speculation has already begun about who Pochettino should target in January and it appears that central midfield is an area that the Argentina boss is keen to improve.

Reports have suggested that Porto’s Hector Herrera and Paris Saint-Germain’s Adrien Rabiot are targets for Spurs and we asked fans which of the pair they would like to sign – with the results coming in as a landslide.

A whopping 75% selected France international Rabiot, who stands at 6ft 2in according to TransferMarkt, as the player they would prefer, with just 25% believing that Herrera, who has earned 70 appearances for Mexico, would be the better option for Pochettino’s ranks.

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The Celtic fans in the Transfer Tavern have been delighted by Dedryck Boyata’s performances at the World Cup so far this summer, but they are concerned that his progress could attract interest from outside the club. 

The Breakdown

Belgium face Brazil this evening for a place in the World Cup semi-final – a game which promises to be a tantalising fixture for neutral supporters. After playing every minute of the group stages, Boyata was dropped to the bench for Belgium’s last-sixteen fixtures against Japan, so it will be interesting to see if he is restored to the starting eleven against the tournament favourites.

Following a handful of impressive performances in Russia, both Lazio and Fulham are now interested in signing one of Celtic’s most important players this summer according to The Sun.

Although Brendan Rodgers will be desperate to fend off interest from outside the club and keep Boyata at the heart of his defence next season, he may be forced to adopt a pragmatic approach and sell him whilst his stock is sky-high.

The World Cup is a notorious breeding ground for inflated transfer fees and short-sighted decision making and Celtic must use this to their advantage this summer.

Players who have previously gone under the radar are often made to look far better than they truly are on the international stage and, in turn, their respective club’s can justifiably demand huge fees for their services.

And that’s exactly what Celtic must do this summer whilst Boyata’s reputation is soaring.

With just one year remaining on his current deal there’s no guarantee that Celtic will be able to keep the 27-year-old at the club beyond the summer of 2019, especially if clubs from Serie A and the Premier League continue to express an interest.

With that in mind, Celtic would be foolish not to sell him for an inflated price this summer rather than risk losing him for nothing at the end of the season.

Naturally, losing Boyata would be a blow for the Hoops in their bid to cement their domination in Scottish football, but it would be an exaggeration to describe him as irreplaceable so Rodgers must entertain offers for him unless he is willing to put pen to paper on a new deal.

Celtic fans – thoughts? Let us know below!