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David Moyes is in line to receive a major behind-the-scenes boost at West Ham United this summer…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, the 58-year-old Scotsman has hired his son, David Moyes Jnr, to work in the Irons’ revamped scouting and recruitment network.

It’s a move that highlights his growing influence at the East London outfit as he’s been trusted to form his own scouting department, with more senior appointments expected in the near future.

Moyes Jnr has left his role as an agent with Wasserman, who have some big names like Man City’s John Stones and Liverpool defender Joe Gomez on their books, to join his father at the London Stadium.

GSB trust

This will come as a hugely encouraging boost to many at the Hammers, especially Moyes, who has seemingly earned the trust of the club’s hierarchy during his second stint.

The former Everton boss was linked with a sensational return to Goodison Park before signing a new three-year extension and in the 16 months or so that he’s been back, he’s transformed West Ham’s fortunes greatly.

After avoiding relegation with one game to go in 2019/20, the Scot guided the squad into the Europa League, recording their best-ever points tally and their highest finish since 1999.

Moyes has managed to achieve such a feat thanks to his impressive coaching on the training ground as well as his phenomenal recruitment in the transfer market.

Nobody could’ve foreseen the impact of unknown Czech duo Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, who both appear to be two absolute bargains, whilst the turnaround in Jesse Lingard’s career was just as unpredictable.

And that’s all thanks to Moyes.

Therefore, it should come as little surprise to see GSB put their faith in the 58-year-old to build his own scouting network.

This sort of thing escaped him during his first tenure, so it represents a change in attitude from those at the very top and that’ll come as a hugely exciting boost to West Ham.

Moyes will have to do the business in the window once again if they are to stand a chance at remaining competitive next season as right now, the squad lacks substantial depth options right across the pitch.

Either way, fans should be buzzing by this latest development from Rush Green.

AND in other news, Hammers must secure “unbelievable” 30-goal beast amid concerning ExWHUemployee update…

According to reports by The Sunday Mirror (via HITC), Barcelona have offered Philippe Coutinho to both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur – but the Brazilian is not interested in a move to St James’ Park.

The Lowdown: Barcelona trying to offload Coutinho

Since leaving Liverpool for the Spanish giants in 2018 in a deal worth a staggering £142m, the attacking midfielder has not hit the heights he reached whilst playing under Jürgen Klopp at Anfield.

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The 29-year-old has made 12 appearances this season in LaLiga, scoring twice and failing to supply an assist. However, each of those games has involved a substitution, as the Brazilian is yet to play a full 90-minute league match this season.

The Latest: Spurs gifted chance to sign Coutinho

According to reports by The Sunday Mirror (via HITC), Barcelona are keen to offload Coutinho on a permanent deal, and they have offered the player to both Newcastle and Tottenham in a bid to push him away from the club. However, it is believed that the midfielder is reluctant to make the move to Tyneside.

Barcelona are desperately trying to sell some players to fund a move for Manchester City attacker Ferran Torres. Coutinho’s massive wages are proving to be a barrier in this pursuit, though, as AS have reported that the Brazilian earns around €20m (£17.07m) per season, which equates to roughly £325,000 per week.

The Verdict: Wages likely too high

With Coutinho reluctant to join Newcastle, Barcelona will continue to push Spurs into a move for the player.

The 29-year-old could prove to be a fantastic addition to Antonio Conte’s side due to his vast experience in the Premier League, where he played 152 games for Liverpool and once made the PFA Team of the Season. Former Reds teammate and international colleague Roberto Firmino has previously described the Brazilian as ‘phenomenal’, claiming that he has ‘magical powers’.

Despite such praise, it seems unlikely that Spurs will pursue a move for the player, as his enormous wages could prove to be too much for the north London club, whose top earner is Harry Kane on £200,000 per week.

In other news: Paratici backed by Levy as he tries to seal Spurs agreement for ‘sensational’ £100k-per-week ace

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Ianis Hagi and Alfredo Morelos will both be ‘missing’ for Glasgow Rangers on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Hagi timeframe

Van Bronckhorst revealed back in February that Hagi will likely even miss the start of next season, as well as the rest of this, after suffering a damaging knee injury.

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Of course, that timeframe could be shortened if the Romania international is able to speed up his recovery through rehab, but for now he will be ruled out for the foreseeable future, and he won’t be the only one missing on Sunday.

The Latest: Early team news

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their Old Firm clash against Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, van Bronckhorst confirmed that both Morelos and Hagi will be ‘missing’.

The Dutch manager thinks that the striker will be out for at least a ‘couple of weeks’, after he was spotted on crutches at Glasgow Airport.

The Verdict: Double blow

Of course, it is a double blow for the Teddy Bears that they will be without two of their key players in what looks to be their biggest game of the league campaign so far.

Both Hagi and Morelos rank in the top seven performers for the Light Blues in the league this term, while the latter is their top scorer with 11 goals and has also contributed seven assists (WhoScored).

Hagi is more of a creative influence, having ranked highly among his teammates in terms of average key passes, crosses and through balls per game (WhoScored), and both of them can form a formidable partnership when they are on song.

In other news, find out who Frank McAvennie thinks ‘will start’ for Gers here!

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse had dropped out of international duty with England due to illness.

Even though there is still a week to go until Southampton are back in Premier League action with an away clash against league strugglers Norwich City, there’s every chance that the skipper may not be fit enough to play at Carrow Road next week depending on the nature and severity of the condition currently afflicting him.

With this possibility in mind, this could provide one other Southampton midfielder with a great chance of showing Ralph Hasenhuttl what he can bring to the party.

Opportunity knocks

Despite appearing in nine of the 11 Premier League games Southampton have played so far this season, 22-year-old midfielder Ibrahima Diallo has only started two of them, the first being their 1-0 win over Leeds United followed by their 2-2 draw against Burnley, completing the full 90 minutes on both occasions.

These two games were the two that Ward-Prowse missed as a result of the red card he picked up during their 3-1 defeat against Chelsea last month, proving that Hasenhuttl has made no issue in turning to Diallo in Ward-Prowse’s absence, which he could well do again if the Englishman is not fit enough to play against Norwich.

After earning himself a decent overall match rating of 7/10 for his performance in the Leeds match according to SofaScore, Diallo then followed that put by providing an assist in the draw against Burnley, proving that he can be a useful figure for the Saints when called upon.

With Hasenhuttl recently describing Diallo, who is currently valued at £13.5m according to Transfermarkt, as a “very physical player” who has a “very good amount of ability with the ball”, the Austrian should have no issues with including the midfielder in his starting XI against Norwich if Ward-Prowse isn’t able to play.

Looking beyond that, given Diallo’s young age and the fact that fellow Saints midfielder Oriol Romeu has now hit the age of 30 and has his current contract at St. Mary’s set to expire in the summer of 2023, there’s every possibility that Diallo could go on to become Romeu’s long-term heir at the club if the Spaniard leaves at the end of his deal and if Diallo can continue to make the most out of any opportunities he gets to start for the Saints.

In other news: “Intelligent” £30k-p/w Saints dynamo proved that he can be Ralph’s main man

Newcastle United have suffered a setback in their hopes of appointing Brighton’s Dan Ashworth as their new sporting director.

What’s the story?

Journalist Craig Hope revealed: “As it stands, Ashworth – who resigned as Brighton’s technical director in February – will be made to see out his notice period, meaning it is likely to be November before he arrives at St James’ Park.

“We understand there is frustration on Newcastle’s part that they have been unable to reach a compromise and install the man who will oversee the club’s restructuring.

“However, the Saudi-backed owners – led in the UK by Amanda Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi – will not pay what they believe to be inflated prices, be that for players or staff.”

Blow for Howe

After enjoying a relatively successful January transfer window, one which saw the likes of Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes arrive in high-profile deals, getting off to a good start in the summer would have been something Howe was hoping for.

Instead, the delay in getting a deal for Ashworth over the line threatens to cloud some of their potential work in the transfer market, particularly with the kind of valuable input the Brighton man could have provided with all his experience.

Indeed, according to Hope, it’s the Magpies boss who might once again be tasked with playing a bigger role in the recruitment process, adding: “Head coach Eddie Howe is prepared to fill some of the void in Ashworth’s absence, primarily when it comes to recruitment, as he did during a successful January window.”

Given the exhaustive list of targets that have been linked with a move to St James’ Park since the arrival of the new owners, having a streamlined process where people with experience and knowledge are walking in the right corridors of power during the summer window will be key.

Ashworth’s absence in such a crucial period of the Magpies’ history when they no doubt plan on taking that next step in the Premier League is sure to be a big blow for Howe and one that might leave the club’s supporters worried.

AND in other news – Sold for just £100k, now a 2-time title winner: NUFC flop has delivered huge payback

Ange Postecoglou has provided a fresh injury update on Celtic centre-forward Giorgos Giakoumakis… 

What’s the latest?

The Celtic manager has hinted at Giakoumakis making his return to fitness for the club after the international break.

The Australian head coach singled out the Greek summer signing from VVV-Venlo as a player who could benefit from the break as he needs ten days to get himself fit.

He told The BBC, via Vital Football:

“I think from our perspective, the last international window wasn’t kind to us.

“We lost a couple of key players through injury so from our perspective we’re just keeping our fingers crossed that we get through this international window unscathed.

“There’s still guys like Giorgos who needs some work to get them over the next sort of ten days so when everyone’s fit, we haven’t been close to having everyone ready to go, so hopefully that happens.”

Excitement

Celtic fans will surely be left feeling excited by these comments from Postecoglou. They appear to suggest that he could be in contention to make his Premiership debut for the club shortly after the international break, with the Hoops traveling away to play Motherwell on the 16th.

Since joining from Venlo in the summer, the Greek striker has only made one appearance for Celtic. He played 16 minutes off the bench in the 4-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, before missing the win over Aberdeen through injury on Sunday.

Upon his arrival at the club, Giakoumakis admitted that he has admired the club from afar and is confident that he has made the right decision to sign for the Scottish giants. He said:

“Celtic is one of the world’s great football clubs with the best fans around. It is a club I have admired for so long and it will now be an honour to wear this famous jersey.  To know that the manager wanted me so much to join Celtic is really humbling and it makes me know I have made the right choice.”

This shows how motivated he is to succeed at the club and fans should enjoy seeing his passion on the pitch. Along with that, his goalscoring record for Venlo suggests that he could be an exciting player for the supporter to watch in action.

Last season, he scored 26 goals in 30 Eredivisie games as he averaged a phenomenal SofaScore rating of 7.35 for the Dutch side. He has shown that he can score goals on a regular basis at a respectable standard of football, which is why fans must be excited at the prospect of the Greek forward lining up against Motherwell in two weeks.

AND in other news, “We are looking”: Ange drops Celtic transfer claim which is sure to have fans buzzing…

Newcastle United have suffered a major injury blow to Joe Willock ahead of their Premier League clash against Watford.

What’s the story?

The Magpies have endured a difficult start to the new top-flight campaign, remaining winless in their opening five matches and currently lying 18th in the table.

Manager Steve Bruce said: “Joe Willock picked up an injury in this week, unfortunately, and Jamaal Lascelles hurt his thigh. So they, unfortunately, go on to the injured list, which makes that about five or six of our first team.

“Not that healthy, I have to say. Disappointed. Joe’s was a complete fluke, unfortunately he kicked the ground, damaged his toe. He’ll not make this week, and probably touch and go whether he’ll make next week as well.”Massive blow for Newcastle UnitedMake no mistake about it, being without Willock is arguably the second-biggest absence the Magpies could have faced, outside of Allan Saint-Maximin of course.The former Arsenal starlet arrived on a permanent deal in the summer transfer window, and in his initial loan spell at St James’ Park, he showed exactly why he’s a real match-winner. He bagged eight in 14 games following his winter arrival and set a new record by becoming the youngest player in Premier League history to score in seven consecutive matches.That ability to get into the box at the right time to finish things off is something which has been hailed by Owen Hargreaves, too, praising him after his goal-scoring display for Arsenal against Dundalk in the Europa League last season.The former England midfielder said: “The point is, he can do so much, he gets in the box in the right place at the right time. He wants it to feet, he’s always on the half-turn, which is nice to see. Today I saw a bit more athleticism rather than just coasting in there. His overall game is really good.”While Willock has yet to find the net so far this season, he has still shown his importance to Bruce’s side with a squad-high 4.3 tackles per game, while only Saint-Maximin has averaged more dribbles per match (SofaScore).Without him in the starting line-up against Watford, it really looks like it will be more the same of having to rely on Saint-Maximin for a moment of inspiration.Newcastle fans must be gutted over the injury to the 22-year-old gem, especially considering the freakish circumstances in which it came about.Meanwhile, Newcastle are eyeing a move for this Championship ace…

Former Nottingham Forest striker Nigel Jemson has exclusively told Football FanCast that Tammy Abraham needs to be playing regularly again – and said that Southampton could afford him by paying in instalments.

Abraham has been linked to several Premier League sides with his future at Chelsea now in serious doubt, especially with Romelu Lukaku close to returning to Chelsea.

But Southampton’s need is greater than most of their Premier League rivals after losing talisman and topscorer Danny Ings to Aston Villa earlier this week following months of uncertainty over his contract situation at St Mary’s.

However, whilst Saints banked around £25m for Ings’ services, Chelsea have set a £40m asking-price for Abraham, who’s just 23-years-old and has several years remaining on his Blues deal, which would appear out of their reach.

Ironically, Southampton’s record-signing was when Ings joined permanently from Liverpool back in 2019 for just under £27m, some way below what Chelsea are demanding for Abraham.

But Jemson suggested that Saints could fund the deal in instalments. He told FFC:

“They could pay £10m every four years, then they may be able to afford him. For Tammy Abraham, he’s got to get out, he’s missed out on England in the Euro’s.

“He’s got to get back playing, there’s nothing worse for a player. He may have to take a step back and take two steps forward again.”

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been going wild over news involving Giovanni van Bronckhorst amid their continuing manager search.

It has been reported that the Dutchman is a ‘strong contender’ to replace the departed Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.

As shared by Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth on his official Twitter page, the representative of Van Bronckhorst has now claimed that ‘positive talks’ have been held with the Light Blues over the vacant managerial role, with footage shown of the 46-year-old himself leaving London.

He would most certainly be a popular choice among a lot of Gers supporters, given that he is a two-time Premiership winner as a player with the club. He also did very well as a manager at Feyenoord, who he guided to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years back in the 2016/17 season (BBC), in addition to winning four other major trophies with the Rotterdam club.

Rangers fans on Van Bronckhorst manager news

These Rangers fans went wild as the news was shared on Twitter:

“Looks good to me”

Credit: @NickyTay55

“That is all”

Credit: @alanrankin77

“Ahhhhhhhhh it’s happening”

Credit: @JamieRFC14

“SIUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @__1872Scott

“Here we go, time for Gio.”

Credit: @jmc_1872

“Love to see it”

Credit: @cameron56689617

In other news, find out what international news has left these Gers fans buzzing

Brighton and Hove Albion are set to make a bid for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard, but not until after the Hoops complete their Champions League second round qualifying tie against Midtjylland on Wednesday night, according to the Daily Mail.

The Lowdown: Celtic gear up for 2021/22

Facing the prospect of major transition at Parkhead, new manager Ange Postecoglou will surely be eager to recruit top talent in tandem with offloading those already at the club who see their future elsewhere.

With only one year left on his deal at Parkhead, the Celts may be forced into selling star striker Edouard following recent developments.

The Latest: Brighton to bid for Edouard after Champions League qualifiers

Brighton are believed to be readying an offer for the Frenchman in the aftermath of Celtic’s midweek European assignment, which if they win will guarantee them some form of continental football until Christmas [Daily Mail].

The 23-year-old is rated at around £20m by the Seagulls, whilst Postecoglou has previously stated his desire to sell players who are not interested in his vision. Crystal Palace are also rumoured to be interested in Edouard as their summer recruitment drive intensifies [Daily Mail].

The Verdict: Selling Edouard makes business sense for the Bhoys

To receive a prospective sum of £20m for the former Paris Saint-Germain striker would be excellent business by the Bhoys. With Edouard having told friends of his desire to leave Glasgow in this transfer window, cutting their losses may be the most agreeable move for both player and club at this moment in time.

The forward was in sparkling form in 2020/21, registering 28 goal contributions in 40 appearances with 22 goals and six assists [Transfermarkt]. Proving a constant menace in attack, Edouard also averaged 3.5 shots per game for the Hoops in the Premiership last term [WhoScored].

Once labelled ‘excellent’ by Celtic captain Callum McGregor [celticfc.com], the Celts should use the fee from the Frenchman’s prospective sale to bring in a replacement who would seem capable of instantly shouldering the goalscoring burden that Edouard would leave behind.

In other news, many Celtic fans react to an astonishing transfer rumour.